Staffordshire Police arrested a man near Stoke-on-Trent as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

Two men, in their 40s, who supplied pistols and ammunition to organised crime groups have been convicted and sentenced.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an investigation into Ibraheem Abdullah, 42, from Crumpsall, Manchester, and Amit Desai, 49, from Leicester, following the identification of evidence from an encrypted chat network.

Abdullah mainly sourced customers, while Desai collected cash and sometimes delivered the firearms based on messages on the encrypted phone network EncroChat.

Desai used the handle 'Brixonlease' and Abdullah (also known as Dwaine George) was known as 'Tenderpasta'.

According to the NCA: "Among the weapons Abdullah obtained were converted Slovakian-made Grand Power G9A blank-firing pistols, which he purchased from another EncroChat user.

"Messages showed that Desai and Abdullah charged £10,000 and £8,500 respectively for each weapon.

"In March 2020, Desai supplied half a kilo of cocaine to Abdullah as a down payment to secure firearms, keeping a further 500g so that he could fund the remaining cost of the weapons.

"He also offered to supply Abdullah with cannabis.

"That same month, Desai drove to a location near Brighton where he sold two firearms and approximately 100 rounds of ammunition to contacts there.

"The next month Abdullah sourced another two pistols, one of which Desai collected from the car park of a convenience store in Thelwall New Road, Grappenhall, Warrington."

In March 2022, Abdullah was jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to import class A drugs.

He was under investigation for this when he was arrested for the firearms offences on 21 March 2021.

He was pursued by road and on foot by officers from the NCA's Armed Operations Unit after he stopped for police but drove off after being instructed to get out of the vehicle.

Abdullah was then arrested by officers in an alleyway in Brinsworth Drive, Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

Desai was arrested by Staffordshire Police a few days earlier as he drove a car on the A500 in Stoke-on-Trent at the request of the NCA.

Police found £2,870 in cash and a golf ball-sized black bag containing cocaine which had been hidden inside the fuel cap.

Abdullah pleaded guilty to two firearms charges at Manchester Crown Court in October 2023.

Desai pleaded guilty to one count of supplying class A drugs (cocaine) and two counts of conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons at the same court on 29 June this year, just before he was due to stand trial.

He admitted a charge of supplying cannabis at an earlier hearing.

Yesterday (8 October), he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment at the same court.

NCA branch commander Cat McHugh said: "Abdullah and Desai nonchalantly traded in these deadly weapons.

"They completely disregarded the dangers posed to the public, or in whose hands the pistols could have ended up in.

"Their only motive was financial gain.

"Such cases show how closely linked the firearms and drugs trades are, which is why the NCA works with law enforcement partners at home and overseas to tackle the organised crime groups behind them."

In 2020, Encrochat was dismantled and the NCA led Operation Venetic, the UK law enforcement response.