A Norfolk soldier has been jailed for 15 months and discharged from the army for passing on military-issue bullets.
Ralstan Pusey, 31, was found guilty of possessing prohibited ammunition at Kingston Crown Court on March 4.
Pusey, a Lance Corporal with 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, based at Robertson Barracks, Swanton Morley, was sentenced at the same court on July 9.
It followed police stopping a vehicle in Luton on November 9, 2016, and finding a loaded handgun and 97 rounds of 9mm Parabellum ammunition.
The bullets were found in two containers - of them an iPhone box - inside a bag.
By reading the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number on the iPhone box, they were able to trace it to Pusey.
Detective Constable Leon Ure said: “This was an unusual case which opened up as the result of meticulous forensic work.
“Officers were able to narrow down the source of the bullets to the British Army, and a jury was convinced that it was Pusey who had passed the bullets on.
“Possessing ammunition is a very serious offence – criminals intent on using firearms to commit violence on London’s streets provide a black market for ammunition, to be used in shootings linked to gang violence and organised crime.”
The ammunition and the boxes were forensically tested, and Pusey’s fingerprints were found on the containers.
He was arrested in April 2017 and denied handling, stealing, passing on or having any knowledge of the bullets.
But detectives found out the bullets were from a batch made in July 2010 for the British military. The Met said Pusey was living at the Swanton Morely barracks on Worthing Road at the time of his arrest.
He was charged in July last year.
The court heard that it was believed Pusey obtained the ammunition while stationed in Germany, having taken part in firing range exercises.
Pusey was found not guilty of theft.
The driver of the car was arrested and convicted of possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in June 2017.
Officers from the Met’s specialist crime south team led the investigation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here