Dramatic footage captures the moment armed police arrested a gun smuggler after 72 firearm components were discovered hidden inside a 1970s Datsun shipped from Pakistan to the UK.

Yasir Khan, 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday after admitting to smuggling firearms.

Border Force officers uncovered the concealed gun parts—such as top slides and barrels for pistols—on July 7, 2024, at London Gateway port in Essex. According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the components were expertly hidden within the fuel tank, under the windscreen, and behind the engine block.

Following Khan’s sentencing, the NCA released footage showing armed officers arresting him in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

Investigators found voice notes on Khan’s phone revealing communication with an armourer in Pakistan, who had invited him to visit “the factory” in the summer of 2023. Additional videos and messages showed Khan—who claimed to be a car dealer—struggling to test-fire weapons due to ammunition jamming.

The gun parts seized in July 2024 included 36 top slides and 36 barrels for 9mm Glock self-loading pistols, all hidden in different sections of a 1976 Datsun Sunny. The NCA suspects Khan previously smuggled gun parts in November 2023 using similar tactics.

Throughout 2023, Khan also acquired several deactivated firearms, which he is believed to have converted into functional weapons.

NCA senior investigating officer David Phillips stated that the agency, in collaboration with Border Force, successfully prevented these firearm components from reaching criminal networks. He emphasized that stopping illegal firearms from entering UK streets remains a top priority for the NCA.