So much for airport security: Man 'smuggled 80 guns into Britain' by hiding them in suitcases

Arrested: Steven Greenoe



An American man is suspected of smuggling 80 weapons into the UK by hiding them in his suitcases.



Former U.S. marine Steven Greenoe, who holds British citizenship, apparently strolled through airport security in both Britain and America with dozens of handguns stashed in his suitcases on ten flights last year.



He is believed to have delivered them to criminal contacts in the North West of England.



On one occasion, Greenoe was stopped after officials at Atlanta airport spotted the firearms.



But incredibly he was allowed to board the flight after telling officials he worked as an international security consultant.



The revelations are an embarrassment for transatlantic security and for the UK Border Agency.

It makes a mockery of security regulations which mean innocent passengers have to carry cosmetics in clear plastic bags when in fact Greenoe apparently had no problems carrying weapons in a suitcase.



An investigation is understood to have been launched after police in the North West recovered a number of new guns.



Of the five weapons recovered in the UK that are believed to have been flown in by Greenoe, tests showed that one was used in a drive-by shooting in Manchester last October, the Times reported last night.

Gun shops: The weapons were said to have been bought from The Personal Defense and Handgun Safety Center, left, and also Carolina Shooters, both in Rayleigh, North Carolina



A number of 9mm semi-automatic pistols believed to have been bought by Mr Greenoe for $500 each in a North Carolina gunshop were offered for sale at up to £5,000 a piece in Britain a week later, according to the Times.



More than 60 weapons, including more than 20 Glock pistols and more than a dozen Ruger handguns, are understood to be still unaccounted for.



Mr Greenoe, 37, who is married to a British woman, was finally arrested in the United States in July after a British-led investigation.



Federal agents found 16 firearms and ammunition magazines that had been broken down and hidden in his bags.



He was charged with unlawfully shipping firearms on an airline without notifying airline officials and without an export license, according to court documents.



According to a report in a local newspaper, police in the UK said they thought the guns were bound for the black market.



More than 60 weapons are still understood to be unaccounted for



Mr Greenoe is understood to have bought the weapons in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he went to school. His mother still lives in the city and Greenoe is alleged to have stayed at her home during his frequent visits to buy guns during late 2009 and the first half of 2010.



He was able to exploit relatively lax security at the local airport, Raleigh-Durham International, by dismantling the guns and distributing the parts among several suitcases.



On each trip the cases were checked on to a domestic flight to Atlanta then transferred to a Delta transatlantic flight to Manchester.



A UK Border Agency spokesman last night refused to comment on the case.



She added: ‘The security of the UK is the government’s top priority. UK Border Agency officers work around the clock to actively intercept smugglers causing harm to the UK.



‘We work closely to act quickly against suspected illegal imports to keep the border secure and protect the public.’



Police believe Greenoe’s wife Elizabeth, with whom he lived in Shrewsbury, was not aware of his activities, the Times reported.

