A gun smuggler who claimed he had not looked inside the bag he was transporting has been jailed for four years.

Ionut Constantin Diaconu, 36, from Romania was stopped at Dover’s Eastern Docks on arrival to the UK, last July.

He was passenger in a lorry being driven by fellow Romanian Constantin Neascu, 39, which was searched by Border Force.

Officers discovered three converted Ekol model Gediz self-loading gas pistols marked as Glock.

They were hidden in a wine box inside a rucksack on the drivers bunk.

They also found two Albanian men hiding in the trailer, who were attempting to enter the UK illegally, and 21,550 cigarettes in the cab.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of importing firearms, facilitating illegal entry to the UK, and importing cigarettes.

In an interview with National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators, Diaconu said that he was asked to pick up the rucksack and take it to England, but claimed to have not looked inside or realised it contained anything illegal.

Diaconu pleaded guilty to the firearms offence at Maidstone Crown Court, for which he was jailed for four years.

He received an additional four month sentence for revenue evasion on the cigarettes.

Neascu was also jailed for four months in relation to the cigarette seizure.

Mark Howes, branch commander at the NCA, said: “Diaconu was carrying a lethal cargo of weapons, which would have undoubtedly ended up in the hands of organised criminals.

“The supply of firearms is closely linked with the drugs trade, and weapons are used to instil fear, inflict violence and in some cases to kill.

“Thankfully, working with Border Force, we managed to stop these firearms reaching the streets and have protected the public.”