Trio jailed over supply of guns and heroin

Three men police said were part of an "organised crime group" involved in supplying unlawful weapons and heroin have been jailed.

Ashley Latimer-Basill, of Thriplow, Cambridgeshire; his brother Michael Latimer, of St Albans, Hertfordshire, and Robert Kenna of Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, were involved in converting and selling blank-firing guns and bullets and part of a "complex network", detectives said.

A judge at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday jailed Latimer-Basill for more than 30 years, Latimer for more than 20 years and Kenna for more than 17 years.

Judge Philip Grey heard that officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (Ersou) had investigated and said police work had been "exemplary".

An Ersou spokesman said detectives launched an investigation in November 2023 and discovered the group had used a "network of criminal contacts across the UK" to sell and distribute .

"The investigation shone a light on the dealings across separate criminal groups," said the spokesman outside court.

"Latimer-Basill... was found to have purchased at least 19 firearms for conversion, with documents linking him to two known 'conversion factories'."

He added: "Michael Latimer... purchased at least 125 blank firearms and bought hundreds of rounds of ammunition."

The spokesman said Kenna used his "skills as a metal worker" to convert guns and ammunition at his home.

He added: "Detectives found more than 750 rounds of ammunition hidden in his garden shed, along with tools for converting blanks into live rounds."

The spokesman said the group had also been involved in the production of "zombie dust"- a "highly dangerous mix of heroin and other substances" - that was being sold to other criminal groups across the country.

All three men were charged with conspiracy to supply prohibited weapons, conspiracy to supply prohibited ammunition, and conspiracy to supply heroin.

Latimer-Basill, 36, also known as Ashley Thompson, and Kenna, 35, of Burnsfield Street, Chatteris, had entered guilty pleas.

Latimer, 38, of Blackthorn Close, St Albans, had admitted conspiring to supply prohibited weapons and prohibited ammunition.

He had denied conspiring to supply heroin but was found guilty after a trial.

Det Ch Insp Steve Dowty said: "These men were directly involved in the production of firearms which will no doubt have been used to threaten, seriously injure and potentially kill others.

"The sentences handed down today reflect the severity of their activity and are testament to the scale of our investigation and the dedication of our detectives.

"I am delighted that these individuals will now spend lengthy periods behind bars, where they are prevented from causing further harm to our communities."

Judge Grey told the hearing that blank pistols had been turned into the "real thing".

He said "potentially lethal" drugs had been concocted and that heroin addicts using them could have been "seriously harmed" or "even killed".

The judge said Latimer-Basill, who had a "history of violent offences", had been the "leading light".

He said a large number of guns had been produced for the "criminal underworld" in a "get-rich-quick scheme"

"This was a large-scale commercial enterprise," he said.

"Lethal, terrifying weapons with live ammunition. They are likely to have been used to intimidate and terrify others.

"They may well have been used in real shootings. People may have been killed."

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