Man Jailed for Arranging Postage of Firearms from USA

A Bradford man who arranged for parcels containing firearms and bullets to be posted from America to West Yorkshire has been jailed.

Wade Priestley flew to the United States himself and arranged to send back a parcel containing a handgun to an address in Bradford.

But the parcel was intercepted in the UK on November 17 last year, prompting an investigation by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU).

Four further parcels were then posted from California to addresses in Halifax and Bradford but were intercepted before they arrived.

All were labelled as bike, car and brake parts and with made-up sender addresses in the USA.

Investigators found that Priestley had travelled to the Los Angeles from Heathrow Airport on November 1 last year. Evidence showed him in a US postal facility sending the parcel.

The other parcels destined for addresses in West Yorkshire included:

Two packages containing a handgun each and destined for Bradford which were seized by US Homeland Security officers at Los Angeles Airport on January 5, this year.

A parcel containing 20 bullets also destined for Bradford was seized in the US on January 19.

A parcel posted from a post office in California and destined for an address in Halifax was intercepted by UK Border Force on January 27. That was found to contain four heat-sealed bags containing the component parts to make two full handguns.

Priestley was arrested on February 1 and due to stand trial in August. He admitted conspiracy to acquire possession of dutiable goods with fraudulent intent on the first day of his trial.

Appearing before Bradford Crown Court for sentencing today (10/10), the 34-year-old, formerly of Craig Hopson Avenue, Castleford, was jailed for nine years and 10 months.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Al Burns, of the YHROCU, said: “Our investigation team quickly identified Wade Priestley as the man behind this conspiracy and our extensive investigations showed that he played a key role in both the sending of the parcels and how they would have been received.”

“I have no doubt these firearms would have ended up in the hands of serious organised criminals where they would have posed a real danger to our communities had they not been intercepted.”

“Our officers worked closely with agencies on both sides of the Atlantic during the course of this investigation and I am pleased that the diligence and cooperation of all involved has ensured these potentially lethal weapons could not be put to use on our streets.”

During the investigation the YHROCU worked with and would like to put on record its thanks to the following partner agencies:

US Homeland Security, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, US Customs and Border Protection, US Postal Inspection Service, the National Crime Agency, UK Border Force, Garda Sochána, the Royal Mail and West Yorkshire Police.