A Chatteris man who pleaded guilty to converting guns and ammunition into live rounds as part of his role within an organised crime gang has been jailed for more than 17 years. Robert Kenna, 35, of Burnsfield Street, Chatteris, used his skills as a metal worker to convert guns and ammunition at his home address.
Detectives from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) found more than 750 rounds of ammunition hidden in his garden shed, along with tools for converting blanks into live rounds.
He was sentenced to 17 years and 11 months’ imprisonment. He pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial last October and was sentenced last week at Cambridge Crown Court.
Adam Ball, Assistant Chief Constable of ERSOU, praised the work of the team that brought the gang to justice.
“The result of a significant investigation by the team,” he said. “I’m incredibly proud of the professionalism of the ERSOU teams who work day in, day out, to keep communities across the Eastern Region safe
The man who headed the organised crime group (OCG) which sold guns, ammunition and drugs across the UK was jailed for over 30 years.
Ashley Latimer-Basill, 36, of Brook Road, Thriplow, headed the OCG and was found to have purchased at least 19 firearms for conversion, with documents linking him to two known ‘conversion factories’ and bank records showing he had sent money to accomplice Robert Kenna to carry out the work.
He was jailed for 30 years and six months; the longest single sentence handed down in an ERSOU investigation.
His brother, Michael Latimer, 39, of Blackthorn Close, St Albans, purchased at least 125 blank firearms and bought hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Phone records showed he regularly liaised with Kenna and had also sent him money.
During a police raid, detectives located 60kg of class A drugs at Latimer’s home and, while arresting him, found him in possession of blank ammunition.
He was jailed for 20 years and four months.
Ashley Latimer-Basill, his brother Michael Latimer, and Robert Kenna had key roles within a criminal network which bought blank firing guns and ammunition which they then converted into live weaponry.
Specialist detectives launched an investigation in November 2023, finding that the group had used a network of criminal contacts across the UK to sell and distribute the guns, utilising trusted associates to store and transport the firearms.
The trio had also been involved in the production of ‘zombie dust’, a highly dangerous mix of heroin and other substances such as nitazenes, which was being sold to other criminal groups across the country.
Message exchanges showed that the concoction was mixed at Kenna’s house, with police searches at Michael Latimer’s address also finding packages of the substance in his garage, packed and ready to be sold to other gangs.
All three men were charged with conspiracy to supply firearms, conspiracy to supply ammunition, and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
They were sentenced at a Cambridge Crown Court last week.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Dowty from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), said: “These men were directly involved in the production of firearms which will no doubt have been used to threaten, seriously injure, and potentially kill others.
“The sentences handed down today reflect the severity of their activity and are testament to the scale of our investigation and the dedication of our detectives.
“The disruption of OCGs across the eastern region is at the core of what our ROCU does, and I am delighted that these individuals will now spend lengthy periods behind bars, where they are prevented from causing further harm to our communities.
“ERSOU is committed in the fight against drugs and guns and, alongside police forces across the region, we will be relentless in our pursuit of those who continue to recklessly and selfishly commit serious and organised crime.”
