Guns being smuggled into Britain on passenger flights

LONDON - Dozens of handguns were brought into Britain on passenger flights from the US and then delivered to criminal gangs, a media report said.

Steven Greenoe, 37, allegedly smuggled more than 60 weapons into Britain in his suitcase, the Daily Express reported.

Greenoe, a private security consultant, was stopped by US officials when pistols were found in his luggage as he tried to board a flight to Manchester.

But he managed to talk his way out of trouble and was allowed to carry on. He said he was an arms salesman returning from a gun show.

Greenoe is thought to have delivered the guns during several trips to Britain where he allegedly handed over the guns to gangs.

British police chiefs have recovered five weapons linked to Greenoe - at least one was proven to have been used in a shooting in Manchester in October 2010.

The news comes as British security forces were redoubling efforts to keep the country safe amid recent fears of a Mumbai-style attack.

A counter-terrorism official said: “This situation calls for an urgent reassessment of airport security in the US.”

Another official said: “The fact that he was able to carry on undetected for so long is bad. That he was stopped at least once with guns in his bags and was then allowed to catch his flight is astonishing.”

Greenoe, who grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina but now lives in Britain, was arrested in the US with 16 pistols in his suitcases in July 2010 following a Britain-led investigation which traced the guns — which had their serial numbers removed — to purchases made by Greenoe in Raleigh.

Greenoe allegedly smuggled the guns by taking them apart and putting pieces in several suitcases.

He is currently in prison in the US awaiting trial in March. He has been accused of unlawfully shipping firearms on an airline without notifying airline officials and without an export licence.