A converted firearm was seized from the home of a suspected drug dealer at the end of a month-long amnesty for the same type of weapon. Top-venting blank-firing (TVBF) guns are legal to purchase in the UK but there are four Turkish brands – Blow, Ceonic, Ekol and Retay – that can be converted into viable firearms and are therefore unlawful.
The Retay 9mm weapon capable of firing live ammunition was found inside a pizza box during a search of a residential address in Gillingham on Wednesday 26 February 2025, which followed the arrest of a 16-year-old boy seen acting suspiciously at the town’s railway station earlier that day. He has since been charged with possession of a firearm and being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was remanded in custody when he appeared before Medway magistrates on Friday 28 February and will next appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 28 March.
A total of 15 TVBF firearms were handed in to Kent Police during a national amnesty that ran throughout February, along with 15 other imitation weapons, 290 rounds of blank ammunition and a revolver dating back to the First World War that was discovered in a member of the public’s loft.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Davies of Kent Police said:
‘Since 2021 more than 800 TVBF guns linked to criminal activity have been recovered by police forces across the UK and they have also been used in at least four homicides nationally over the past two years. Once converted they are clearly very dangerous weapons and we do everything we can to ensure they stay out of the reach of those who would use them to cause harm.
‘We are pleased that a number of people who were most likely unaware that certain brands of these firearms are illegal took advantage of the national amnesty and handed in their weapons, helping us to ensure they do not end up in the wrong hands.
‘Kent is a very safe place to live, work and visit where gun crime is fortunately rare. Amnesties such as this help us to keep it that way.’