Dramatic footage reveals armed police raiding a concealed weapons factory hidden within an ordinary motorcycle workshop, following the conviction of a criminal network supplying firearms to rival gangs, including those in Somerset.
Career criminal Peter Weston, from Norris Green, served as the sales intermediary for the organised crime group (OCG), while Dudley Brennan operated a firearms modification workshop from his motorcycle garage in Kendal, Cumbria.
Brennan, 31, covertly converted firearms at his South Lakes Motorcycles business under the guise of motorcycle repairs, supplying criminals from Cumbria to Somerset. His close partner, 40-year-old Weston, orchestrated the OCG’s illicit sales.
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The operation focused on modifying Turkish-manufactured top-venting blank firearms (TVBFs) for use in criminal disputes. The National Crime Agency (NCA) uncovered Brennan had altered at least two submachine guns alongside several handguns, and discovered evidence linking him and Weston to plans for large-scale crystal meth production. The pair allegedly joked their enterprise could rival the infamous ‘Breaking Bad.’
On Monday, February 23, Weston was sentenced to 26 years and nine months in prison, alongside three associates. During the raid on March 7, 2024, NCA officers found Brennan accepting a delivery of 10 Turkish Ekol TVBFs at his Kendal workshop. Inside, they uncovered an illegal weapons modification facility, including a Makarov-style semi-automatic pistol adapted to fire 9mm rounds, plus ammunition and a suppressor.
Investigators confirmed the OCG had purchased and modified 17 weapons, with 12 recovered to date. Details of five missing firearms have been shared with partner agencies.
In footage released by the NCA, armed officers arrest Brennan at his garage, handcuffing him and escorting him into custody.
The five-member OCG appeared before Bolton Crown Court, receiving sentences for their roles in the operation. Weston had a prior 11-year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine in 2013.
Brennan received a 22-year and three-month prison sentence, both men also pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class A drug. Officers discovered a small methamphetamine lab at Brennan’s home. The duo planned to produce up to 100 litres of meth in 12 hours using a mobile setup disguised inside a catering trailer.
Further evidence revealed a screenshot advertising a 1989 Chevrolet GMC Allegro, with Weston joking, “Ha, Breaking Bad.” Brennan hoped to claim the vehicle as a business tax write-off but their plans were foiled by the NCA.
Other conspirators—Ryan Pilling, Daniel Fitzgerald, and Joshua Ee—pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell or transfer prohibited weapons, receiving sentences ranging from 8 to 13 years.
NCA branch commander Cat McHugh praised police support and emphasized the danger posed by Brennan and his group. “They were only interested in profit, showing no regard for the harm their firearms caused in communities. Tackling illegal firearm use remains a top NCA priority.”
In February last year, nearly 3,000 Turkish-manufactured TVBFs were voluntarily surrendered during an NCA amnesty, revealing how easily these weapons could be converted illegally using simple tools. These firearms fall under strict legal prohibition, with possession punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Currently, a similar amnesty is underway for Italian-manufactured Bruni TVBFs.