Glock pistol found in car confiscated by police - after it was auctioned and taken to England

Police revealed the gun and ammunition were discovered after Joshua Guvenc’s Ford EcoSport was sold and taken to England.

Guvenc is facing prosecution over seizures of the money and nearly £70,000 worth of cannabis found at two houses in the west of the city.

The 33-year-old, of Springhill Avenue, was in a Ford EcoSport stopped on the A1 near Loughbrickland, Co Down on March 26 this year.

An initial examination of the vehicle recovered £165,000 in cash, vacuum packed and inside a laptop bag, along with three mobile phones and €1,000 Gunvenc had in his pocket, it was previously disclosed.

During follow-up searches a round of ammunition and a balaclava were found at a property on Mica Drive.

Officers also seized a quantity of herbal cannabis and dye-stained bank notes believed to have been taken from either a cash in transit robbery or ATM theft, according to police.

Separate searches at a house in Springhill Avenue uncovered cannabis with an estimated street value of £67,500, suspected deal bags, scales and other drug-related paraphernalia.

Guvenc has been charged with possessing criminal property, handling stolen goods, possessing class B drugs with intent to supply, having ammunition in suspicious circumstances and another attempted possession of cannabis.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard that the vehicle, leased under the Motability Scheme, was confiscated, sold through an auction house and taken to England.

“The company that bought the car discovered there was a firearm inside it, a concealed Glock 19 pistol with a magazine of 17 rounds,” an investigating detective disclosed.

Questioned about how police failed to spot the firearm, he said it had been vacuum-packed and stored behind a panel in the back of the vehicle.

“You would need to take the car apart and there was nothing to suggest any sort of concealment at the time,” the detective added.

Lancashire Police have also been contacted as part of attempts to obtain any DNA or fingerprints from the pistol.

Opposing Guvenc’s application for bail, the detective claimed he had failed to provide passcodes for the seized phones and could hinder the ongoing investigation.

Defence solicitor Philip Breen stressed his client does not face any charges related to the newly-discovered gun.

Mr Breen also alleged police had unfairly raised the issue just as the accused mounted a new bid to be released.

“It’s ok saying in the witness box that this firearm has been concealed, but he hasn’t been interviewed (about it),” the lawyer submitted.

Refusing bail, District Judge Anne Marshall remanded Guvenc in custody until August 28.

She held: “There is a risk of reoffending and a risk of interference with the investigation.”