Two men have been jailed after a Met police dog led officers to an AK47 in south London.
Umar Pervez, 23 (07.06.99), of Midhurst Avenue, Croydon and Kyal Truong-Clarke, 25 (01.05.97), of High Street, Beckenham, were both sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, 8 August.
Both men were found guilty at the same court on Tuesday, 10 May of conspiracy to transfer a firearm, conspiracy to possess a prohibited firearm and conspiracy to possess ammunition.
Truong-Clarke was also found guilty of possession with intent to supply cannabis.
On 6 August 2021, officers acting on intelligence were carrying out an operation in south London when they saw Pervez carrying a holdall on Mitcham Common. He was subsequently stopped but was no longer in possession of the bag.
A search of the area was carried out, with support from officers from Met Taskforce and the National Police Air Service. The holdall was sniffed out by Police Dog Chase and was found to contain an assault rifle, magazine and ammunition.
The firearm was recovered and secured, while Pervez was arrested and taken into custody.
Further enquiries found he had been in contact with Truong-Clarke in the days leading up to the firearm being found, and that Truong-Clarke had made enquiries about how much he could sell the firearm for.
Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Masterson, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “I have no doubt that this weapon would have been used to kill or seriously injure somebody on the streets of London and I am pleased that we have removed that risk.
“Tackling violent crime is a top priority for the Met and we remain committed to doing all we can to keep the public safe. We have made significant progress in this area, with a 28 per cent drop in lethal barrel discharges compared with this time two years ago.
“The outcome of this investigation is testimony to the tireless work that detectives have put in to bringing these two men to justice. We will stop at nothing to dismantle organised crime groups and the supply of firearms and ammunition in London.”
+ Tackling violent crime: It is absolutely critical that we, along with our partners, drive down violent crime in London – this is the top priority for all in the Met.
Our plans are strong and officers are using a range of tactics from prevention and diversion activities to enforcement. Current financial year data shows positive reductions across serious violent crime categories:
Financial Year (FY) April 2021 – March 2022 the serious violence figures are:
Homicide: Has seen a 17 per cent reduction against 2019/20 with 126 recorded homicide offences FY
Robbery: Has seen a 39 per cent reduction against 2019/20 with 24,394 recorded robbery offences FY
Knife crime under 25: Has seen 21 per cent reduction against 2019/20 with 1,227 recorded offences FY
Lethal Barrel Discharges: Has seen a 28 per cent reduction against 2019/20 with 196 recorded offences FY
We know we have a challenge ahead of us but we will continue to make it harder for violent and predatory people, drug dealers and those involved in county lines gangs and organised crime to operate
We remain confident in our continued determination to progress the in-roads we have made, along with our partners to prevent and tackle violence and keep our communities safe.
