Leeds man who had 'firearms and drugs factory' in his home jailed for 13 years

A man who set up a 'firearms and drugs factory' in his Leeds home has been jailed for 13 years.
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Two rifles, both viable weapons, were found in a hedge at Neil McFarlane's home in Pudsey Road, along with ammunition.

Officers searching his house also found equipment to make the homemade firearms as well as around 40 cannabis plants being cultivated in a spare bedroom.

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Items that could be used for the manufacture and conversion of firearms were found in a shed by West Yorkshire Police’s Programme Precision Team.

A firearm found at the property.A firearm found at the property.
A firearm found at the property.

McFarlane and Anne Marie Moran, 39, of the same address, were arrested in December 2019 when West Yorkshire Police raided the couple’s home address as part of a wider operation with Northumbria Police.

They appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday, July 9.

McFarlane, 53, was jailed for 13 years after admitting two counts of manufacturing a prohibited firearm, the manufacture of a firearm and three counts of possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate.

He also admitted the production of Class B controlled drugs and the supply of Class B controlled drugs from his home.

Neil MacFarlane.Neil MacFarlane.
Neil MacFarlane.
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Moran was sentenced to a community order after admitting the production of Class B controlled drugs and the supply of Class B controlled drugs from her home.

Detective Superintendent Carl Galvin, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “McFarlane had basically set up a firearms and drugs factory in his home

“His imprisonment is the result of excellent intelligence-led policing to disrupt and arrest dangerous criminals through Programme Precision which looks to target serious and organised crime in West Yorkshire.

“McFarlane’s prison sentence reflects the seriousness of his role in this criminal enterprise and the threat to life that his activity caused.”

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled to take place at a later date.