Man jailed after illegal firearms recovered

A man has been jailed for seven years after being found in possession of a number of illegal guns as well as stolen vehicles – which were stored in rented garages across Leicestershire.

Nikodem Iwaszko, 21, was found guilty of six counts of possessing a prohibited firearm, possession of a firearm without a firearms certificate, possession of ammunition without a certificate or authority and six counts of possession of criminal property following a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

He had already pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of criminal property.

Iwaszko was sentenced at court on Monday (30 November).

 

Nikodem Iwaszko

 

The items were all recovered following warrants being executed by East Midlands Special Operations Unit at two garages - one in Kenilworth Road, Wigston, and  one in Langford Way, Leicester - as well as at Iwaszko’s home address in Cross Street, Wigston, last year.

 

Items recovered during the searches included:

• Three sawn-off shotguns
• A handgun
• A self-loading pistol
• Ammunition
• CS spray
• A stun gun
• Two stolen cars (a BMW and an Audi)
• Five stolen motorbikes

Police investigative work had led to Iwaszko being suspected of renting garages across the Leicestershire area to store illicit items. Iwaszko had tried to distance himself from being linked to the garages in a number of ways including by providing false details.

When arrested, Iwaszko denied the offences but evidence gathered by officers linking him to the items led to the convictions with police work being commended in court.

Detective Chief Inspector James Avery said: “This was a detailed operation following information received which involved a considerable amount of teamwork across EMSOU to recover the firearms and vehicles and to secure sufficient evidence to charge Iwaszko.

“Thanks to this intense work, numerous firearms have been prevented from falling into the wrong hands and a dangerous individual has been brought to justice.

“We will act on any information received and will work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and protected.”