Two Croydon and one Hackney men were sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for firearms offences on February 9 at Croydon Crown Court.

53-year-old Darren Lewis received 14 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of three years and 28-year-old Alex Findlay received 18 years with an extended licence period of four years. 24-year-old Umut Alpergin of Hackney received a sentence of 9 years.

Following a three-week trial at Croydon Crown Court last May, the three men were found guilty of possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition.

The initial investigation started as the Met detectives executed a search warrant at an address in Norbury Avenue, Thornton Heath.

During the search, Met police seized firearms in an outbuilding and arrested its occupant, Darren Lewis of Norbury Avenue, Croydon.

Forensic evidence on the seized firearms and newspaper wrappings in the building led to the arrest of two further suspects, one of them being Alex Findlay of Knights Hill, Croydon.

Further findings from the investigation led the police to identify a Class A drug conspiracy between Lewis and Findlay dating back to 2019.

In addition to pleading guilty to firearm offences, Lewis and Findlay also pleaded guilty to Class A drug offences, with Findlay also pleading guilty to possession of £5,690 in counterfeit cash.

As a result of this investigation, detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command reportedly removed two handguns and 34 rounds of ammunition from the streets of South London.

Detective Constable Alex White, the investigating officer, said: “This operation led to the removal of firearms and ammunition from Croydon’s streets and demonstrates the Met’s continued focus on violent crime across London.”

He added: “Each firearm seized had the capability of causing fatal injuries and causing devastation to families.”