Thread: 37 MS-13 gang members charged after round up

37 alleged MS-13 gang members charged after round up

Posted: May 20, 2015 5:20 AM PDT Updated: May 20, 2015 8:50 AM PDT
By WBTV Web Staff

• 
  

(Mark Davenport | WBTV)

(Mark Davenport | WBTV)

(Mark Davenport | WBTV)

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -Thirty-seven alleged MS-13 gang members were arrested and charged Wednesday morning on racketeering conspiracy charges, according to Jill Westmoreland Rose, acting U.S. District Attorney.

Twenty-two of the defendants were also reportedly charged with a variety of charges including murder, attempted murder, and firearms violations.

The FBI, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were involved in the arrests of 16 of the alleged gang members Wednesday morning. Five of the alleged members are reportedly still at large, active arrest warrants have been issued for them. Another 16 are currently in state custody on various state charges.

"Today's charges send a clear message to gangsters who think their gang affiliation puts them beyond the law's reach. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers will continue to work hand-in-hand to identify and prosecute gang offenders whose violent acts create mayhem in our streets and devastate communities," said Acting U.S. Attorney Rose.

"Transnational criminal gangs like MS-13 inflict untold damage in our communities by engaging in violence and trafficking in drugs, weapons and even human beings," said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta. "There is no doubt that North Carolina communities will be safer as a result of these arrests."

The following people were arrested on RICO conspiracy charges:

• Carlos Almote a/k/a “Rabioso,” 25, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Jose Danny Argueta a/k/a “Shadow,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Miriam Barilles-Escamilla a/k/a “Gata,” 26, of El Salvador. (not arrested)
• Juan Bergamasco-Suarez a/k/a “Temper” or “Kilo,” 21, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Milton Chavarria a/k/a “Syko,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Raul Contreras a/k/a “Smoke,” 24, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Luis Erazo a/k/a “Joker,” 24, of Honduras. (arrested)
• Marvin Fuentes-Canales a/k/a “Crazy,” 22, of El Salvador. (not arrested)
• Luis Funes-Rivera a/k/a “Demonio,” 20, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Jorge Garcia a/k/a “Shorty,” 25, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Cesar Garcia-Perez a/k/a “Vikingo,” 35, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Saul Gavidia a/k/a “Scrappy,” 20, of Landis, N.C. (arrested)
• William Gavidia a/k/a “Duro,” 23, of Kannapolis, N.C. (arrested)
• Raul Guardado a/k/a “Guanaco,” 42, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Neris Gutierrez a/k/a “Oso” or “Furioso,” 26, of Guatemala. (not arrested)
• Angel Hernandez a/k/a “Taz” or “Magic,” 24, of Rock Hill, S.C. (arrested)
• Jose Manuel Linares a/k/a “Chepito,” 21, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Rene Lopez-Ventura a/k/a “Mafioso,” 32, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Jose Moran-Celis a/k/a “Lil Silent,” 20, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Daniel Navarro a/k/a “Lunatico,” 21, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Jonathan Noble a/k/a “Ghost,” 22, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Luis Ordonez-Vega a/k/a “Big Boy,” 36, of Concord, N.C. (in state custody)
• Christian Pena a/k/a “Pitbull,” 19, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Jorge Perez a/k/a “JP Bukie,” 30, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Victor Pineda a/k/a “Chele,” 23, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Rosendo Rivas a/k/a “Jester,” or “Demonio” or “Nene” 24, of Rock Hill. (in state custody)
• Fec Rodriguez-Vareal a/k/a “Chelito,” 28, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Salvador Ruiz a/k/a “Chava,” 26, of Kannapolis. (not arrested)
• Jorge Sosa a/k/a “Koki” or “Loco,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Oscar Trejo a/k/a “Trigger” or “Maliente,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Jaime Turcios a/k/a “Pitufo” or “Smurf,” 24, of Charlotte. (arrested)
• Jose Vasquez a/k/a “Muneco,” 26, of El Salvador. (arrested)
• Marlon Vasquez-Maldonado a/k/a “Gangster,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Albert Vela-Garcia a/k/a “Conejo,” 25, of Landis. (arrested)
• Luis Villalta a/k/a “Little Psycho,” 25, of El Salvador. (not arrested)
• Alexis Villalta-Morales a/k/a “Rikichi,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
• Miguel Zelaya a/k/a “Most Wanted,” 19, of Charlotte. (in state custody)

Of the above 37, Miguel Zelaya was charged with murder in the death of Jose Orlando Ibarra. Luis Ordonez-Vega and Christian Pena also face murder charges in the death of Noel Navarro Hernandez.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/29111660/p...n-in-charlotte

http://www.alipac.us/f12/families-ra...awsuit-319658/

Feds indict 37 suspected MS-13 gang members in Charlotte area roundup

Homeland Security, FBI round up several suspects in Charlotte area Wednesday morning

MUST WATCH VIDEO REPORT AT LINK

By Mark Becker and Blake Hanson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
Jill Westmoreland Rose, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced that 37 members of the street gang “La Mara Salvatrucha” or “MS-13” have been indicted by a federal grand jury on racketeering conspiracy charges Wednesday morning.

Early Wednesday morning, law enforcement arrested 16 of the alleged gang members during a roundup. Five remain at large and have active arrest warrants while another 16 are currently in custody on various state charges.

“As outlined in today’s indictment, the alleged MS-13 gang members have committed numerous violent crimes, including armed robberies, assaults, and murders, for the benefit of the criminal enterprise. Today’s charges send a clear message to gangsters who think their gang affiliation puts them beyond the law’s reach. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers will continue to work hand-in-hand to identify and prosecute gang offenders whose violent acts create mayhem in our streets and devastate communities,” said Westmoreland Rose.

“The arrest of these MS-13 gang members is part of a coordinated law enforcement effort to eradicate gang violence in North Carolina. Innocent families should not suffer because of the callous and violent actions of others. The FBI will pursue those criminal offenders who impact the safety and stability of our neighborhoods, no matter their gang affiliation,” said John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Charlotte.

“Transnational criminal gangs like MS-13 inflict untold damage in our communities by engaging in violence and trafficking in drugs, weapons and even human beings,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta. “This lengthy investigation has uncovered alleged crimes ranging from petty drug deals to capital murder. There is no doubt that North Carolina communities will be safer as a result of these arrests.”

“The partnerships between my office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and both federal and local law enforcement reflect our dedication to ensuring that collaborative investigations and prosecutions target violent crime on our streets,” said Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray. “We’ll continue to work together as we pursue justice for those affected by crime and protect the community from future harm.”

The indictment charges each of the 37 alleged gang members with one count of Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy.

The named defendants are:

•Carlos Almote a/k/a “Rabioso,” 25, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Jose Danny Argueta a/k/a “Shadow,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Miriam Barilles-Escamilla a/k/a “Gata,” 26, of El Salvador. (not arrested)
•Juan Bergamasco-Suarez a/k/a “Temper” or “Kilo,” 21, of Charlotte. (in state
custody)
•Milton Chavarria a/k/a “Syko,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Raul Contreras a/k/a “Smoke,” 24, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Luis Erazo a/k/a “Joker,” 24, of Honduras. (arrested)
•Marvin Fuentes-Canales a/k/a “Crazy,” 22, of El Salvador. (not arrested)
•Luis Funes-Rivera a/k/a “Demonio,” 20, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Jorge Garcia a/k/a “Shorty,” 25, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Cesar Garcia-Perez a/k/a “Vikingo,” 35, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Saul Gavidia a/k/a “Scrappy,” 20, of Landis, N.C. (arrested)
•William Gavidia a/k/a “Duro,” 23, of Kannapolis, N.C. (arrested)
•Raul Guardado a/k/a “Guanaco,” 42, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Neris Gutierrez a/k/a “Oso” or “Furioso,” 26, of Guatemala. (not arrested)
•Angel Hernandez a/k/a “Taz” or “Magic,” 24, of Rock Hill, S.C. (arrested)
•Jose Manuel Linares a/k/a “Chepito,” 21, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Rene Lopez-Ventura a/k/a “Mafioso,” 32, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Jose Moran-Celis a/k/a “Lil Silent,” 20, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Daniel Navarro a/k/a “Lunatico,” 21, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Jonathan Noble a/k/a “Ghost,” 22, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Luis Ordonez-Vega a/k/a “Big Boy,” 36, of Concord, N.C. (in state custody)
•Christian Pena a/k/a “Pitbull,” 19, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Jorge Perez a/k/a “JP Bukie,” 30, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Victor Pineda a/k/a “Chele,” 23, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Rosendo Rivas a/k/a “Jester,” or “Demonio” or “Nene” 24, of Rock Hill. (in state
custody)
•Fec Rodriguez-Vareal a/k/a “Chelito,” 28, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Salvador Ruiz a/k/a “Chava,” 26, of Kannapolis. (not arrested)
•Jorge Sosa a/k/a “Koki” or “Loco,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Oscar Trejo a/k/a “Trigger” or “Maliente,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Jaime Turcios a/k/a “Pitufo” or “Smurf,” 24, of Charlotte. (arrested)
•Jose Vasquez a/k/a “Muneco,” 26, of El Salvador. (arrested)
•Marlon Vasquez-Maldonado a/k/a “Gangster,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Albert Vela-Garcia a/k/a “Conejo,” 25, of Landis. (arrested)
•Luis Villalta a/k/a “Little Psycho,” 25, of El Salvador. (not arrested)
•Alexis Villalta-Morales a/k/a “Rikichi,” 23, of Charlotte. (in state custody)
•Miguel Zelaya a/k/a “Most Wanted,” 19, of Charlotte. (in state custody)

In addition to the RICO conspiracy charge, three defendants face murder in aid of racketeering and related charges -- Zelaya for the murder of Jose Orlando Ibarra, and Ordonez-Vega and Pena for the murder of Noel Navarro Hernandez.

Ten defendants -- Argueta, Garcia, Linares, Funes-Rivera, Ruiz, Sosa, Trejo, Vasquez, Vela-Garcia, and Villalta-Morales -- are also charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering and related charges.

MS-13 Breakdown:

According to the allegations contained in the 41-count indictment: From at least in or about 2009 to present in Mecklenburg County and elsewhere, the defendants were members of the MS-13 gang, a criminal organization with over 6,000 members in the United States and 30,000 members internationally. MS-13 originated in Los Angeles, California, and has spread to states across the country, including in North Carolina.

The gang’s members are mostly immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador and other Central and Latin American countries. MS-13 in North Carolina is divided into different groups, or “cliques,” identified by names such as “Charlotte Locotes Salvatrucha,” and “Centralles,” among others. The different cliques work together to carry out criminal acts, to protect the interests of the criminal enterprise, and to assist each other in avoiding law enforcement detection.

The group leaders are often called “shot callers” or “voices,” and they are tasked with passing down information and orders from leaders higher in the gang hierarchy. Group leaders also act to resolve disputes, address organizational issues, and to participate in gang decisions, including the assault or murder of those suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, known as “green light.”

MS-13 members adhere to a set of gang rules and pay dues which fund the gang’s criminal activities and support other gang members or their families in the U.S and abroad. Gang members are also expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang and its members, and to punish through acts of violence and intimidation those who disrespect the gang.

Some MS-13 members signify their affiliation with the gang by wearing blue, black and white color clothing and certain “Mara Salvatrucha,” or “MS-13” tattoos. As alleged members of MS-13, the defendants charged in the indictment held multiple meetings at various times, to discuss gang-related matters and to plan the commission of future crimes for the benefit of the gang.

As outlined in the indictment, over the relevant time period, the defendants allegedly were responsible for numerous criminal acts including drug distribution, armed robberies, extortion, illegal possession of weapons, the assault of individuals suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and murder.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that on December 18, 2013, Zelaya allegedly murdered Jose Orlando Ibarra in Charlotte, whom he believed to be a member of a rival gang, and on or about June 6, 2014, also in Charlotte, Pena and Ordonez-Vega allegedly murdered Noel Navarro Hernandez.

According to the indictment, on April 23, 2011, Contreras murdered Rigoberto Castillo in Rock Hill, S.C., and on June 23, 2013, in Charlotte, Garcia-Perez shot and killed Alejandro Sebastian Alvarez, a rival gang member. Contreras and Garcia-Perez were prosecuted on state charges for those murders.

The indictment contains a notice of special sentencing factors, which provides for a greater sentence for those defendants charged with offenses related to the murders.
The defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court, after considering the federal sentencing guidelines and statutory sentencing factors.

The defendants arrested Wednesday have begun making their initial appearances in Charlotte before a U.S. magistrate judge. The defendants currently in state custody will be transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals to appear in court on the federal charges.

PHOTO GALLERY































- See more at: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/loca....JMn1hRB6.dpuf

MS-13 Gang Epidemic Tests Obama's Amnesty Excuse

16 Comments


A member of the MS-13 gang does time inside the Ciudad Barrios prison in El Salvador. Newscom

Border: Recent busts of murderous MS-13 gangsters put the lie to President Obama's sympathetic amnesty narrative of illegal immigrants as "workers who mow our lawns, make our beds (and) clean out bedpans."

Authorities Wednesday rounded up 37 MS-13 gang members in Charlotte, N.C., on racketeering conspiracy charges, along with charges of murder, attempted murder and firearms violations. All of them are illegal aliens from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Several are round-trippers — illegals who broke in once, committed crimes, got deported and broke back into the U.S. — proving that our border is porous and unsecured.

Charlotte police discovered the rat's nest of foreign gangsters after some of them started shooting up local nightclubs and bars.

Reading the indictment, much of the money these immigrant hoods raise from illegal gang activity is wired back to El Salvador to arrange for even more gangsters to come across the border.

The funds are wired back to Central America through remittances that Obama has made cheaper and easier for illegals to send through new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules on banks.

"The alleged MS-13 gang members have committed numerous violent crimes, including armed robberies, assaults, and murders, for the benefit of the criminal enterprise," prosecutors said in a statement.

The catalog of their alleged crimes runs 17 pages in the indictment. Several pages list suspected gang members charged with "illegal re-entry by an aggravated felon," or entering the U.S. illegally after they had already been deported.
It's not immediately clear if any of the suspects had been given amnesty under Obama's DACA executive order for younger illegal immigrants.

But the busts come on the heels of the deferred deportation the Obama administration granted to vicious Charlotte gangster Emmanuel Jesus Rangel-Hernandez.

Rangel-Hernandez, 19, was placed in the removal process in March 2012, following drug charges, but was shielded from removal by the administration even though it knew of his gang membership. He is now charged with the murders of four Charlotte residents, including former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Mirjana Puhar.

Meanwhile, authorities busted a reputed MS-13 gang member wanted for execution-style murders in New York. Police in Atlanta on Tuesday arrested 22-year-old Arnolvin Umanzor Velasquez, charging him and two co-defendants — Edwin Acosta-Martinez and Sergio Cerna — with three murders, four attempted murders and multiple racketeering offenses.

All three suspects were members of MS-13.

These same illegal immigrant thugs are terrorizing Los Angeles, Chicago and even the nation's capital. Hundreds have been arrested in Los Angeles within the last two years. MS-13 originated in Los Angeles and has spread to states across the country.

There are more than 6,000 already in the U.S. illegally, and dozens more are coming across the border daily. And though they routinely commit crimes, immigration officers don't kick them out of the country. That's because our president has told ICE to stand down.

Arrests of immigrant gang members under Obama peaked in 2012, then dropped by more than 25% in 2013 and continued to decline in 2014, according to arrest records released by ICE in response to a Center for Immigration Studies FOIA request.

Clearly, even violent gang members are not a high priority for enforcement. These are the beneficiaries of Obama's executive amnesty program.

Obama makes it seem as if all illegals in the U.S. are hard-working and honest laborers seeking a better life, when in fact many of them are murderous thugs who are building a criminal network spanning both coasts.

His rationale for granting them amnesty is a terrible falsehood and a threat to homeland security.

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editor...#ixzz3at8U3Bva

Proof positive that we must be armed, puts into question where we need to use them, defense or offense?

Trial begins for 4 alleged MS-13 gang members in NC

By WBTV Web StaffPublished: April 4, 2016, 9:28 am


One alleged gang member being taken into police headquarters during the May round-up. (Mark Davenport | WBTV)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Trial for four alleged MS-13 gang members begins Monday with jury selection.

Investigators say Miguel Zelaya killed a man in December 2013 in Mecklenburg County. He’s looking at the death penalty for murder in the aid of racketeering. He has also been charged with the use of a firearm in the crime of violence.

Jorge Sosa is charged with attempted murder and RICO conspiracy charges. Luis Ordonez Vega’s most serious charge is murder in the aid of racketeering. William Gavidia is facing RICO conspiracy charges.

Attorney said the trial should last at least one week.

Last year, 37 alleged MS-13 gang members were indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges, according to Jill Westmoreland Rose, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

http://wncn.com/2016/04/04/trial-beg...members-in-nc/

POSTED:NOV 01 2016 07:35PM EDT
UPDATED:NOV 01 2016 07:42PM EDT

CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46) - Two Charlotte-area MS-13 gang members were sentenced to life in federal prison Monday for murder, racketeering and other charges following a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI.

Miguel Zelaya, 22, an unlawfully present Honduran national, and Luis Ordonez-Vega, 37, a Guatemalan national, were both sentenced to life in prison Monday.

A federal jury in Charlotte previously convicted both men in April on conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity (RICO), murder in aid of racketeering, use or carry of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.

A third MS-13 gang member, Jorge Garcia, 27, was also sentenced Monday to 70 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy and attempted murder in aid of racketeering charges.

According to court documents, from at least 2009 until May 2015, the three defendants along with 34 others named in a federal indictment were members of the MS-13 gang -- a criminal organization with more than 6,000 members in the United States and 30,000 members internationally.

Athorties said MS-13 originated in Los Angeles, and has spread to multiple states across the country including North Carolina. The gang’s members are mostly immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador and other Latin American countries.

Members of MS-13 in Charlotte participated in multiple meetings at various times to discuss gang-related matters and to plan the commission of future crimes for the benefit of the gang. They were also responsible for numerous criminal acts including murder and attempted murder.

On Dec. 18, 2013, Zelaya shot and killed Jose Orlando Ibarra, a member of rival gang “The Latin Kings.” Zelaya admitted to law enforcement that he shot Ibarra because Ibarra owed him money for a gun and because Ibarra and his brother, another Latin King member, had been looking for one of Zelaya’s associates with a shotgun.

On June 6, 2013, Ordonez-Vega shot and killed Noel Navarro Hernandez in a Charlotte strip-mall parking lot. Ordonez-Vega and other MS-13 members targeted Navarro because they believed that Navarro was a rival gang member.

http://www.fox46charlotte.com/news/l...14974506-story

UK spies have foiled a dozen deadly terror plots in three years as experts warn machine guns like used on the streets of Paris are being smuggled into Britain

Police chiefs have warned that guns are getting into the hands of criminals

Gangs are often happy to sell them on, even to potential terrorists

Bosses warn of the cross-over between low-level criminals and jihadis

By RICHARD SPILLETT, CRIME CORRESPONDENT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 16:27 GMT, 31 October 2016 | UPDATED: 18:50 GMT, 31 October 2016

UK police and intelligence services have foiled 12 terror plots against Britain in the last three years, security chiefs revealed today.

MI5 director general Andrew Parker said ISIS extremists in Iraq and Syria pose the most significant threat, explaining the group is 'here to stay'.

He said British intelligence agencies have 'good defences' but warned they will not find and stop all attacks.

It comes as senior police officers warned assault weapons like those used in the Paris massacres are being smuggled into Britain by criminals gangs and sold on to terrorists.



Guns like those pictured are being brought into Britain by criminal gangs and are being sought by
terrorist groups to use in atrocities, the police have revealed

Bosses at National Crime Agency, often referred to as Britain's FBI, and the Met Police say they have seen a rise in deactivated guns being reactivated in Eastern Europe and coming into Britain by sea, air and even by post.

Met Police terrorism chief Mark Rowley, said: 'The link we see between terrorism and criminals is in the local communities which they come from, often involved in low level organised crime activity.'

Some illegal weapons are also bought on the Dark Web or from licensed owners that have either sold or had their weapons stolen.

Firearms are also being supplied by corrupt armed forces personnel, such as Marine reservist Martin Shannon, who pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to attempting to supply an assault rifle, other firearms and explosives including grenades to an undercover cop.

There has also been a rise in gang violence in British cities as criminals compete over turf and some members have even joined terrorist cells after radicalisation on the streets or in jail.

The Met Police's Mr Rowley added: 'We have got those who are vulnerable people who just get hooked on an ideology.

'There are those who fully subscribe and are determined to act for Daesh, others are just angry and are criminals and are given a way to express that through the streets or in prison.

'It's a complex picture, it is more at a low level, there is not incentive for the highest criminal to get involved in this.

'This rise in gun activity isn't country wide, the biggest rise is seen by our metropolitan forces. It suggests escalation of the use of weapons between gangs to compete with each other.'


The National Crime Agency revealed examples of the guns they have seized in the last year

The NCA says it has seen a rise in the number of legally owned guns falling into the hands of criminals.

Lynne Owens, director general of the NCA, said: 'There are around 800 legally owned weapons that go missing each year. These are sometimes stolen in burglaries or are simply sold on by the owner.

'We can't have a perfect system, that's not realistic, the border will always have weaknesses, we have to look at any vulnerabilities and try and close those gaps in the border.

'We are determined to stop these weapons falling into the hands of criminals and terrorists, however that may happen.

'Gang members and organised criminals will often sell these weapons to anyone who offers the highest price - it's all about money.

'There are members of the armed forces who have returned from theatres of war or have access to live ammunition and we are working with the MoD to secure that route as well.'


Police chiefs say criminal gangs will often sell weapons to anyone, including jihadi fanatics

The majority of the illegal weapons smuggled into Britain come from Eastern Europe, where rules on reactivated guns are not as strict as the UK.

Ms Owens added: 'There's not been an increase in automatic weapons, but certain types of pistols such as a Bryco pistol from Eastern Europe.

'The majority of weapons we seize are very poor quality, they have been reactivated often from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, these are the biggest areas of concern for us.

'It's a very messy landscape and we have such a difficult environment for criminals with low gun violence, but it's still enough to make us very anxious.'

Today, the NCA launched an appeal for the public to be aware of the danger of these weapons falling into the hands of terrorists and criminals.


The NCA today launched a campaign to stop guns falling into the hands of criminal gangs

AC Rowley added: 'We cannot be complacent about this there are hundreds of weapons smuggled through the boarder or purchased illegally through the Dark web and we are determined crack down on these weapons.

'Despite all out best efforts they can come through the postal system or smuggled through the boarders from illegal sellers or purchased from lawful owners who have a licence.

'That's the importance of this appeal to raise awareness with the public of this problem so they can pass any crucial information on to us.

'We have seen several operations where terrorists have shown an intention to acquire explosives or firearms but because of the environment in this country they have struggled to find a route. That leads them to change their tactics and so we have to adapt to that as well.'

UK spies have foiled a dozen deadly terror plots in three years as ...

Now we have to pay to guard, doctor, feed & house them for the rest of their lives - WHY ARE THESE SCUMBAGS IN THIS COUNTRY?

Put them in tent city with Sheriff Joe in the desert. No luxuries, no nothing but a meal.