Army veteran travelled to America to send guns to West Yorkshire in the post
A Bradford army veteran who arranged for firearms and bullets to be posted to West Yorkshire from America has been put behind bars.
Wade Priestley, 34, of Hoyle Ing Road, flew to the United States and arranged to send back a parcel containing a handgun to an address in Bradford. The dangerous parcel was intercepted in the UK on November 17 last year, prompting an investigation.
However, West Yorkshire Police says four further parcels were then posted from California to addresses in Halifax and Bradford. These were also intercepted before they arrived.
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The force says that all of the parcels were labelled as bike, car or brake parts, with made-up sender addresses in the US. Investigators from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit discovered that Priestley had travelled to Los Angeles on November 1 last year, and evidence showed him in a US postal facility sending the parcels.
Two of the parcels contained a handgun, one contained 20 bullets and another contained four heat-sealed bags containing parts to make two full handguns. Images of the firearms have been released by West Yorkshire Police. Priestley went on to admit conspiracy to acquire possession of dutiable goods with fraudulent intent on the first day of his trial at Bradford Crown Court.
He was jailed on Thursday for nine years and 10 months.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Al Burns, of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “Our investigation team quickly identified Wade Priestley as the man behind this conspiracy and our extensive investigations showed that he played a key role in both the sending of the parcels and how they would have been received.
“I have no doubt these firearms would have ended up in the hands of serious organised criminals where they would have posed a real danger to our communities had they not been intercepted.”
“Our officers worked closely with agencies on both sides of the Atlantic during the course of this investigation and I am pleased that the diligence and cooperation of all involved has ensured these potentially lethal weapons could not be put to use on our streets.”