The faces of three men jailed after police found 77 handguns have been revealed.

At Reading Crown Court on March 1,  Damon Denham, 36, of Common Road, Slough, Chad Blackwell, 34, of Hensworth Road, Ashford, Surrey and Daniel Boyd, 42, of Talbot Place, Datchet were sentenced for their roles in a "sophisticated" firearms operation.

It followed a South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) investigation which led to the three men being charged and pleading guilty to conspiracy to sell/transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to sell/transfer prohibited ammunition.

Boyd also pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon. 

On October 11, 2023, SEROCU officers, with assistance from Thames Valley Police, carried out warrants in Ash Lane, Windsor and Talbot Place, Datchet.  

Inside the properties, officers recovered 77 prohibited handguns. Testing of a selection of these confirmed that they were top venting blank firearms which had been converted into viable prohibited firearms. All of the firearms appeared to have been converted similarly.  

In addition, there was also a large amount of ammunition, some that had been converted into viable ammunition and other blank ammunition.  

Across both properties, officers found parts of firearms such as slides, magazines, pistol receivers and cleaning kits.  

Within Talbot Place, tools, such as a lathe, that are believed to have been used to convert the weapons were discovered.  

Officers also found a police baton following a search of Boyd’s car. 

The men were charged on October 12, 2023.  

Detective Inspector Clair Trueman, of SEROCU, said: “As a result of this operation, we have undoubtedly prevented a large number of illegal firearms from entering our communities and causing untold harm.  

“This was a sophisticated operation with a significant degree of planning and preparation. The group had packaged many of the weapons in plastic wrapping including a cleaning kit, illustrating the professional look they were trying to achieve.  

“Additionally, the impact of their actions has had a nationwide reach with firearms that can be linked to the group being recovered in other force areas around the country.  

“This investigation demonstrates that SEROCU is relentless in its pursuit of organised crime groups and works tirelessly to bring offenders to justice. 

“Consequently, Denham. Blackwell and Boyd will now spend a substantial amount of time in prison.”  

Denham was sentenced to 13 years and one month imprisonment. 

Blackwell was sentenced to 11 years and three months’ imprisonment. 

Boyd was sentenced to eight years and three months’ imprisonment. 

The spokesperson added: "If you have any information about illegal firearms or any other criminality in your community, please report this to your local police force by calling 101 or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

"This will allow officers to build up a picture of what is happening and take any necessary action."