Woman jailed for nine years for smuggling arsenal of military grade weapons
A 40-year-old woman from Bristol has been sentenced to nine years in prison after authorities intercepted a large cache of military-grade firearms and Class A drugs she smuggled into the UK. Kasha Sanderson was stopped by Border Force officials at Dover Eastern Docks as she arrived on a ferry from Calais, France, while driving an Irish-registered vehicle.
Inside custom-built compartments, officers found 13 weapons including two Skorpion submachine guns, an Uzi, a Glock handgun, converted blank pistols, alongside 289 rounds of ammunition and 5 kilograms of heroin valued at approximately £500,000. Sanderson, who was unemployed at the time, admitted involvement in smuggling and initially claimed she thought she was transporting cannabis.
The National Crime Agency praised the operation for preventing potentially devastating firearms from reaching UK streets where gun crime remains low but carries high risk. The seizure disrupts an organised crime group’s supply chain and removes a trusted courier who could have facilitated further illegal activity.
This case highlights continuing threats posed by illicit weapons entering via UK ports and the crucial role of coordination between Border Force and national law enforcement in safeguarding public safety.
