Crime

Blank firing firearms amnesty to be held next month

Published

5 months ago

January 27, 2026

DYFED-POWYS POLICE is holding a four-week Firearms Amnesty for five types of BRUNI-manufactured side/top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) which are now illegal to possess following testing by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and policing.

The amnesty will take place between 2 and 27 February, after which anyone in possession of one of the specified TVBFs could be subject to prosecution and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Tests by the National Crime Agency have shown that five specific types of top-venting blank firearms are readily convertible and therefore illegal.

Side/top-venting blank firers are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible. Tests by the NCA and policing have shown that the following BRUNI models are readily convertible and are therefore illegal:

8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 92 blank firing self-loading pistol
8mm PAK Bruni BBM New Police blank firing self-loading pistol
8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 96 blank firing self-loading pistol
8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model ‘GAP’ blank firing self-loading pistol
.380R (9mmK) PAK Bruni BBM ME Ranger single-action blank firing revolver

The amnesty will provide owners an opportunity to hand in TVBFs at police stations around Dyfed and Powys.

The locations in Dyfed-Powys are:

Carmarthenshire: Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli
Pembrokeshire: Haverfordwest
Ceredigion: Aberystwyth and Cardigan
Powys: Brecon, Llandrindod Wells and Newtown

You can visit the stations between the hours of 8am-4pm Monday to Friday.

To ensure safety when transporting a TVBF, please:

Place the item in a bag or box to keep it out of public sight.
Make a specific journey solely for this purpose to minimise the time spent in public.
Upon arrival, inform the staff at the front counter that you are there to hand in a firearm before presenting it to them.

The police are asking people to hand in any TVBFs before February 27 in order to avoid prosecution and to prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands.

Many TVBFs may be held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or may be overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes. The amnesty gives holders the chance to dispose of the TVBFs safely by taking it to one of the local police stations listed above and handing it in.

During the amnesty period, those handing in one of the five identified BRUNI TVBFs will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and they can remain anonymous.

Dyfed-Powys Police Sergeant Haydon Mathias said: “Gun crime in the Dyfed-Powys area remains very rare but we are not complacent about it, which is why we are supporting the national BRUNI TVBF firearms amnesty.

“Surrendering these weapons now will help prevent them getting into the wrong hands in the future and being used by criminals, so we want as many top-venting blank firers as possible to be handed in.”

If you cannot travel to one of the locations during the amnesty, you can call us on 101, where we can discuss this with you to ensure you can take part.

If you are ever in doubt, we urge you to make contact with us for advice.

Crime

Drug trafficker must repay £33,000 after court rules he made nearly £500,000

Published

14 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE drug trafficker jailed after a major cocaine and cannabis seizure has been ordered to repay more than £33,000.

Dean Evans, 44, returned to Swansea Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing after prosecutors sought to recover money made through his offending.

The court heard it had been agreed that Evans benefited from criminal conduct by £496,533.94. However, his available assets were calculated at £33,337.37.

Judge Catherine Richards made a confiscation order for that amount and gave Evans three months to pay. If he fails to do so, he faces a further year in prison.

Evans, of St Clements Park, Freystrop, is already serving an eight-year sentence after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

He was caught after Dyfed-Powys Police’s Roads Policing Unit stopped his Seat Ateca on Holyland Road, Pembroke, at around 10:25am on January 2.

Officers searched the vehicle after Evans admitted they would find “stuff” inside.

They discovered around one kilogram of cocaine in a cardboard box in the boot, together with 5.4 kilograms of cannabis in a black bin bag. The cannabis had been split into ten vacuum-sealed bags.

Swansea Crown Court was previously told the drugs had a combined potential street value of up to £185,000, made up of around £125,000 of cocaine and cannabis worth up to £60,000.

A mobile phone seized from Evans revealed what prosecutors described as a “dealer’s list”, with dozens of names and sums believed to be owed. Messages also showed Evans directing dealers below him in the supply chain.

At the original sentencing hearing, the court was told Evans had 23 previous convictions for 62 offences, including rape and robbery. His previous drug matters had related only to possession.

Sarah John, mitigating, said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had stayed out of trouble for a “fairly lengthy period”, with his last conviction in 2016.

Jailing Evans for eight years, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “You are clearly a man with few criminal boundaries.

“You ensnared users and low-level drug dealers into debt, dragging them into a vicious circle of criminality.”

After sentencing, DC Phill Jones, of Pembrokeshire’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said illegal drugs brought misery to local communities and would not be tolerated.

He said: “This sentence should serve as a stark warning to any others who are tempted into the illegal drugs trade. You will get caught and you will go to prison.”

Photo caption: Drugs seized:

Dean Evans was caught with cocaine and cannabis worth up to £185,000 in his car (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police).

Crime

Man wanted by court after failing to attend hearing over alleged shop thefts

Published

16 hours ago

June 16, 2026

Court Reporter

A MAN is wanted by the courts after failing to attend a hearing relating to a series of alleged shop thefts in Pembrokeshire.

Jack Morgan, of Pembroke, was due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 16) but failed to attend.

The court heard that Morgan faces several allegations of shop theft from businesses in Pembrokeshire.

The charges include the alleged theft of vodka from the Co-op in Pembroke Dock, along with food and drink items including sausages, crisps and Dragon Soop from The Green Garage.

The alleged offences are said to have taken place on various dates earlier this year.

After Morgan failed to attend court, magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest without bail.

He will now be brought before the court once located by police.

Court officials heard that the matters remain before the court and no pleas have yet been entered.

Crime

Man jailed after admitting strangulation and assaults

Published

16 hours ago

June 16, 2026

Court Reporter

A MAN has been jailed after admitting a series of offences including intentional strangulation, assaulting a police officer and assault by beating.

Darren Claypole, aged 52, of no fixed abode, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 16).

The court heard that Claypole admitted intentionally strangling a woman during an incident earlier this year.

He also pleaded guilty to assault by beating and assaulting a police constable in the execution of their duty.

The offences were committed across separate incidents, with the court hearing details of repeated offending.

Claypole entered guilty pleas before magistrates Dr R Talbot-English, S Ley and A Smith.

He was sentenced to an immediate term of imprisonment.

The court also imposed a restraining order to protect the complainant and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge.

Magistrates said the offences were serious, particularly the strangulation allegation, which Parliament has recognised as a significant indicator of escalating domestic violence.