British troops sell guns and drugs to crime gangs, says former soldier

Aug 2 2009 By Nick McCarthy

‘‘They can be sent back in shipping containers which don’t get searched properly because of timescales to get them off the docks. They are also sent back inside military equipment, like tanks and armoured vehicles.

‘‘Kit boxes are used as they are also sent separately back to Europe or Britain and are only given cursory checks.

“These checks are usually conducted by two soldiers who are watched over by two RMPs (Royal Military Police) but there’s no way that they can check every box.

“The lads would never risk smuggling weapons in their kitbags as they know they will get searched.

“But if anything is found in a vehicle or a container there’s no way of tracing it back to any individual soldier.

“It’s mainly handguns being brought back, because a rifle would have to be broken down and split up. If any part of the whole rifle is intercepted then the weapon is useless.

“Having said that, British military weapons and ammunition go missing all the time and where do you think they end up?”

A Birmingham soldier who served in Iraq was jailed for seven years in 2006 for handling a stolen rifle.

L/Cpl James Piotrowski, from Northfield, pleaded guilty to possessing and handling the SA80 after another soldier stole it from Wellington barracks in London.

The soldier, who served for three months in Iraq with the Irish Guards, had been at the centre of a manhunt in Birmingham when he went missing from his barracks in November 2004.

It has previously been revealed that weapons smuggled out of war zones by soldiers have already ended up in the hands of criminals.

In December 2007 the Ministry of Defence confirmed a gun used to shoot PC Rachael Bown in the stomach in Nottingham in 2006 had been stolen from the army.

The Browning 9mm pistol was stolen from a British military base or smuggled into the country by troops from Afghanistan or Iraq.

PC Bown, 23, eventually recovered and gave evidence against gunman Trevon Kyron Thomas, 24, who was later jailed for 30 years for attempted murder.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: ‘“This is a serious issue and we have a huge responsibility to stop military personnel from abusing the position of trust they are in.

“There are procedures and processes in place to stop this from happening and they are fully aware of the rules.

“When personnel return from theatre (war zones) there is a system in place that replicates that of Revenue and Customs for anyone coming into the UK.

“Military Police officers do the same job as Customs Officials and there are thorough searches and additional spot checks.

“The ramifications of being caught with any contraband, including weapons that could be sold for financial gain, are serious and they are dealt with accordingly.”