On 6 November 2024, police moved in to arrest McKenna. A massive operation was launched on the South Ockendon site involving three forces, firearms officers and drones, and ultimately the counter-terrorism officers and an army bomb disposal team.
Tipple, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said the raid had an immediate effect.
“Since McKenna’s arrest, we have seen significant reductions in the number of converted blank firearms involved in shootings in London,” he said.
“That demonstrates the importance of McKenna in the supply of illegal firearms and why it was so crucial his criminal network was dismantled.”
As well as buying blank-firing pistols and using his lathe and drills to convert them into working firearms, McKenna also purchased deactivated weapons including a Kalashnikov AK47 assault rifle and a Sten submachine gun, and was studying how to convert them back into functioning guns.
McKenna had pleaded guilty to 14 charges including firearms and explosives offences, and to collecting material that might be useful for terrorism.
Smith admitted five charges, also involving firearms, explosives and collecting terrorist material.
Crosby and Smith were convicted of three firearms offences. Crosby also admitted a fourth offence – possessing Class A drugs.
Other members of McKenna’s network, Faisal Razzaq, Abdul Saleh, 32, brothers Ricky Dorey, 43 and Robert Dorey, 44, Patrick Loughnane, 59, and his partner Tammy Rigg, 39, will be sentenced on 26 February at Harrow Crown Court.