Shootings involving converted blank-firing weapons have fallen dramatically across London following the takedown of a criminal enterprise that manufactured and distributed illegal firearms from a caravan park in Essex.
The Metropolitan Police’s 10-month operation culminated this week with ringleader Thomas McKenna, 60, receiving a 16-year prison sentence at Kingston Crown Court after detectives dismantled his entire supply network and seized 14 firearms before they reached the capital’s streets.
More than 80 officers descended on McKenna’s three caravans at Buckles Lane, South Ockendon in November 2024, maintaining a three-day cordon around the site after discovering firearms, ammunition and homemade explosives. Inside, investigators found a drill and lathe specifically used for converting blank weapons into lethal firearms, along with bomb-making manuals.
The gang’s reach was so extensive that McKenna’s arrest alone triggered a measurable decline in converted blank firearms appearing in London shootings, according to detectives who described him as a crucial figure in the illegal weapons trade.
The Metropolitan Police investigation began in May 2024 after intelligence suggested Faisal Razzaq was trafficking firearms. Using surveillance and covert tactics, detectives tracked a vehicle travelling to Notting Hill Carnival in August 2024, stopping it in Harrow and recovering a firearm later forensically linked to McKenna’s operation.
Razzaq, 44, had previously spent 11 years imprisoned for the 2005 manslaughter of PC Sharon Beshenivsky. Investigators established he was distributing converted firearms obtained from Robert Dorey, 43, and Ricky Dorey, 44, who lived near McKenna and his partner Tina Smith, 55, at the caravan site.
The network extended through multiple facilitators and customers across London and the South East. Abdul Rahman Saleh, 32, assisted Razzaq’s distribution activities, while Patrick Loughnane, 59, handled communications between the Doreys and McKenna. His niece, Tammy Rigg, 39, stored a converted weapon at her South Ockendon home.
Allan Crosby, 44, and Ryan Smith, 44, were convicted of possessing a converted Ceonic pistol with modified ammunition after trials concluded in November.
Beyond firearms offences, McKenna and Tina Smith faced terrorism-related charges after digital devices revealed extreme right-wing materials and discussions about preparing for a race war. Both had downloaded documents explaining how to construct explosives and convert blank-firing weapons, prompting Counter Terrorism Policing London to join the investigation.
Smith received six years plus 12 months under special custodial rules for terrorist offences. Crosby was sentenced to 10 years, while Ryan Smith received seven-and-a-half years. All four were sentenced on 12 February at Kingston Crown Court.
The operation contributed to record firearms seizures, with Met officers confiscating 676 weapons last year – a 75 per cent increase on 2024. Firearms discharges across the capital have dropped to less than half the levels recorded seven years ago.
Six remaining defendants await sentencing at Harrow Crown Court on 26 February, where the full extent of the network’s operations will be detailed during proceedings.
