In the first case of its kind in the UK, two men have been convicted of using a 3D printer to make firearms. Using this 3D printing technology, computer science teacher Sibusiso Moyo and father-of-three Christopher Gill produced illegal firearms and sold them to criminals.
When Majeed Rehman, a friend of the two men, was apprehended by Bradford Police, the officer found out about this plan to manufacture and supply weapons to criminal gangs.
According to West Yorkshire Police, they found the home-made guns alongside bullets and other gun-making equipment during raids on addresses in Bradford and Hull, where the guns were manufactured on a kitchen counter and in a home garage. The weapons, described as a hybrid 3D-printed gun with metal parts, were intended to be used in organized crime.
Officers stopped Bradford man Majeed Rehman, an associate of the couple, in his BMW car on May 17 last year. A search of the vehicle found an ‘FGC9’ home-made automatic submachine gun, magazine and bullets hidden in a supermarket grocery bag in the back legroom of the car.
Further investigations led by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organized Crime Unit (YH ROCU) found more FGC-9 weapons belonging to the two accused men. Police also obtained two 3D printers and other parts to make the weapons.
They also found a range of other tools and parts, including springs and screws, that could be used to make the weapons as instructed in an online manual. The evidence also included videos and photos of the firearms at various stages of construction. These photos were taken in a residential building, including Moyo’s kitchen and garage, as well as Gill’s home address.
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