CRIMINALS caught trying to smuggle guns and ammunition across the English Channel bizarrely claimed they were there to hunt polar bears.
The incident unfolded earlier this month on the Southern coast, thousands of miles from where the ice-loving live.
Criminals caught trying to smuggle guns and ammunition across the English Channel bizarrely claimed they were there to hunt polar bears
Over 3,500 firearms have been seized by Border Force between July 2024 and December 2025, stock image Credit: Getty
The and nationals were stopped onboard a yacht and told officers they only had the weapons to shoot the endangered species.
As the group had no licenses to carry firearms, officers seized the rifles and ammunition.
Last month, officers also seized four AK-47 rifles and five pistols from a British driver in Dover.
The driver has been remanded in custody after being charged with firearms and ammunition smuggling offences.
Over 3,500 firearms have been seized by Border Force between July 2024 and December 2025.
Minister for and Citizenship, Mike Tapp said: “Border officers work tirelessly to keep Britain safe, preventing harmful weapons from endangering lives.
“This government is bearing down on criminal gangs smuggling firearms into the UK, stopping them from reaching Britain’s streets and causing untold harm.”
Border security officers – including Border Security Command Maritime which police the seas – protect 11,000 miles of coastline across the UK, to prevent criminals from smuggling drugs, firearms and illegal commodities across Britain’s borders.
Last year, Border Force seized almost 150 tonnes of illegal drugs with a street value of £2.6 billion – a 40 per cent increase on the previous year and the highest since records began.
Firearm use in the UK remains rare, with offences decreasing by 9 per cent in England and Wales in the year ending September 2025, from 5,356 to 4,851 offences.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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