AN IRISHMAN who was stopped by UK border forces at the Port of Dover last month has admitted to smuggling firearms into the country.
Robert Keogh from Dublin, was stopped at around 5am on August 2, as he tried to cross the border en route from Calais.
The 37-year-old told officers he'd been in France for a few days "just driving around" according to the National Crime Agency.
Initially, just one firearm was discovered, hidden in the side panel of his car, but after a more extensive search, officers found another 59 guns intricately stashed away in the vehicle.
Keogh admitted to illegal smuggling when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday.
He will return to court for sentencing on the 11th October.
In interview, he told NCA officers that he had a 3,000 Euros gambling debt.
He said he didn’t know there was anything secreted in the car on the return journey.
Andrea Wilson, NCA Head of Regional Investigations, said:"We have deprived an organised crime group of a huge haul of firearms and significantly disrupted their plans.
"These weapons would have been moved onto the criminal market and into the hands of extremely dangerous offenders.
"Although the UK’s level of gun crime is one of the lowest in the world, firearms pose massive potential for harm making their criminal use a priority for the NCA and wider UK law enforcement.
"We work at home and abroad to prevent the flow of guns trafficked to the UK and Border Force is a vital partner in our work to protect the nation.
"This seizure is a great example of that partnership working.
