Michael Sammon, 49, converted hundreds of blank-firing pistols into deadly weapons before selling them on to criminal gangs.

Lethal: The firearm supplied by Sammon used in the shooting of Kamilah Peniston

Michael Sammon, 49, converted hundreds of blank-firing pistols into deadly weapons before selling them on to criminal gangs.Twelve-year-old schoolgirl Kamilah Peniston would later be killed by one of the guns, when she was accidentally shot at home by her teenaged brother.Sammon bought the pistols openly in Germany before smuggling them into the UK by sea and using the postal service.In a workshop in Manchester, he converted them to fire live ammunition.One of the guns ended up in the hands of Kasha Peniston, 17. In the lounge of the home he shared with his sister Kamilah in Greater Manchester, he accidently shot her in the head with it.
He was jailed for two years for her manslaughter in 2007.Five other men were sentenced in 2006 for their part in the smuggling operation.Kasha Peniston: Sentenced to two years in prison for the manslaughter of his sisterJudge Martin Steiger QC described them as "merchants of death".But Sammon initially escaped detection using fake passports and by changing his appearance.In June 2008 he was traced to a caravan park in Hampshire and arrested. Manchester Crown Court heard he was the "ruthless boss" behind the operation.Half the firearms were recovered but around 100 remain untraced.Sentencing Manchester-born Sammon, Judge Steiger said: "Many have been used in shooting incidents and there have been at least two fatalities."One hundred of the guns are still in circulation, waiting to do their lethal work to innocent victims."Sammon is a man who is both ruthless and manipulative. He undoubtedly was the head of this sinister commercial operation."Sammon was found guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to import firearms, conspiracy to manufacture firearms, conspiracy to possess firearms and possessing false passports.

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Daniel Bailey has been told to pay up £194,370 by a court. If he fails to hand over the money within six months, he will face a three-year jail term.

Daniel Bailey (35) avoided prison when he received a 26-week suspended sentence after pleading guilty to producing cannabis. But following a separate investigation into his finances by police, he has been told to pay up £194,370 by a court. If he fails to hand over the money within six months, he will face a three-year jail term.During a hearing brought by police under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Lincoln Crown Court was told officers swooped on Bailey's home, near Spalding, on August 5, 2005. They searched the property and found 22 cannabis plants growing among the flowers in his back garden.More cannabis seedlings were discovered in a shed, and two small lumps of the drug were seized in the house.Bailey was subsequently convicted of production of cannabis, which triggered the probe into his financial affairs.The further enquiries showed that in the six years before his arrest, Bailey had claimed incapacity benefit and income support to the tune of more than £21,000, to which he was...

Vanessa and Juan Bedoya, Meneses and Rodriguez-Jimenez are being held in DuPage County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond each.

Vanessa Bedoya, 37, and Juan Bedoya, 38, both of the 1400 block of Green Oak Trail, Aurora, were charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.Juan Meneses, 32, and Gonzalo Rodriguez-Jimenez, 38, both of the 800 block of Amli Court, Aurora, were charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, the Kane County state's attorney's office said.According to prosecutors, on March 25, Rodriguez-Jimenez and Meneses delivered more than 900 grams of cocaineto another unnamed person. Later, more than 900 grams of cocaine were recovered from Juan and Vanessa Bedoya, who are married. The cocaine was recovered at the home of Francisco Bedoya, 36, also of the 1400 block of Green Oak Trail, Aurora. In addition, more than 900 grams of cocaine was recovered in the home of Juan and Vanessa Bedoya, prosecutors said. Officers searched three Aurora homes Tuesday and found 15 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $4.5 million, along with $50,000 in cash and two vehicle...

Philip Doo (52), Christopher Wiggins (42) and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night

Philip Doo (52), Christopher Wiggins (42) and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night amid tight security. A force of up to 30 gardaí, including detectives armed with Uzi submachine guns, surrounded the courthouse.The three men, all from Britain, were charged that on November 5th, 2008, on the vessel Dances with Waves , a ship not registered in any country or territory, they had possession of cocaine knowing it was intended to be imported illegally.The offence, which is contrary to Section 34 (2) (4) of the Criminal Justice Drugs Trafficking Act 1994, carries a maximum penalty upon conviction at Circuit Court level of a a fine or seven years in jail or both. Det Garda Ronan Cowley of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Doo, of Rocklands House, Higher Manor Road, Brixham, Devon, and told the court that Mr Doo did not wish to reply to the charge after caution.Det Garda ...

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