Armed police followed a convicted Huddersfield drug dealer for almost 120 miles before stopping his Jaguar in Moldgreen.
Surveillance officers from the National Crime Agency watched 33-year-old Zahid Ali talking with an a criminal associate in a Coventry car park on June 11 this year.
A team of armed officers followed Ali north on the M6.
They stopped his vehicle and arrested Ali at traffic lights on Wakefield Road, Moldgreen. A round of ammunition was found in his jeans wrapped in tissue.
At the time of his arrest Ali, of Newhouse Place, off Highfields Road, Huddersfield, was on licence after being released early from an 11-year sentence imposed in 2011 for storing an “arsenal of weapons” which included a de-activated Uzi sub-machine gun and three semi-automatic handguns – and class A drugs.
He has now been sent back to prison and could have his sentence extended after he pleaded guilty alongside Fitz O’Brian Mahoney, 39, of Coventry, to four firearms offences.
Both had previously been convicted of possessing firearms and ammunition and were on licence at the time of their arrest.
Ali appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week and admitted possessing one round of ammunition without a certificate.
Mahoney pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to possessing ammunition without a certificate, possession of a firearm when prohibited for life and possession of 10 rounds of ammunition when prohibited for life. A 35-year old man, arrested at the same time as Ali, has also been recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his conditional release. Sakawat Shah, from Cloudsdale Avenue, Bradford, was convicted in October 2011 for conspiracy to possess and possession of a firearm with intent and will now serve the remainder of his eight year sentence.
Mahoney and Ali will be sentenced on September 28 at Leeds Crown Court.
Mark Spoors from the National Crime Agency said: “Both Ali and Mahoney had been released early from prison, yet continued to commit serious crime with blatant disregard to the impact on their communities.
“They have been sent back to prison to serve the remainder of their sentences. Working with West Midlands Police and West Yorkshire Police, I believe we have stopped two career criminals who would have carried on selling and transferring firearms and ammunition.
“Tackling illegal firearms is a priority for UK law enforcement and the risk posed by the criminal use of firearms remains high in the UK. We are actively sharing information, taking action against those who seek to supply illegal firearms, and removing illegal firearms from criminal circulation.”
