THE STORY began on 17th September 2020, when police had some business premises in Hackney, E9, under surveillance. They saw a man put a brown paper bag in the boot of a car.

Armed police followed the car, which drove to Gale Street in Dagenham, where the police stopped it. In the boot, police found two brown paper bags containing four handguns and 40 rounds of 9mm ammunition. The car was being driven by Ahmet Budak, 35, or Balcorne Street, Hackney.  Hasan Ekinci, 41, of King Edward Road, Hackney, was also in the car.  He was the man who had put the bag in the boot. Both were arrested on suspicion of having committed firearms offences.

The police then went to an address in Hale End Road, which they knew was linked to Budak, where they found a further firearm and ammunition. They also searched a property in King Edward Road, Hackney, which was linked to Ekinci. There they found a Taser in a wardrobe in a bedroom.

All the firearms found were in working order. If used, they could have caused serious injury or death.

Police officers investigated further. They looked at mobile phone records, which revealed that a man called Blaine Nurden, 28, of no fixed address, had arranged a firearms deal connected with the police finds. Nurden was in prison, serving a sentence in relation to earlier firearms and drugs offences, at the time he arranged the deal.

More investigation of phone and CCTV records revealed that Blaine Nurden’s brother, Haydn Nurden, 25, of Shafter Road, Dagenham, and Billy Flyn, 22, of Rowanwood Avenue, Bexley, had bought the firearms as part of the deal. Phone evidence suggested they had paid £5,500 for each weapon. They were both arrested.

The men appeared at Woolwich Crown Court in January, where they were convicted of various firearms offences. They returned to the Court at the end of January, where they were sentenced, as follows.

Ahmet Budak: seven years and nine months in prison for possession of firearms.

Billy Flynn: eleven years and three months in prison for possession of firearms with intent to endanger life.

Hayden Nurden: eleven years and three months in prison for possession of firearms with intent to endanger life.

Blaine Nurden (not shown): twelve years and three months in prison for possession of firearms with intent to endanger life.

Hasan Ekinci pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and causing another person to do so.  He will be sentenced on a later date.

Detective Inspector Lewis Sanderson, from the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Team, said, “The criminal use of firearms has the most tragic consequences on our communities. The work of detectives in taking these lethal weapons off our streets is vital and there is no doubt in my mind this has prevented serious violent crime.

"This investigation demonstrates our commitment to holding those involved in the distribution of these weapons to account. I hope these convictions send a strong message to those involved, we will seek you out and bring you to justice.”

●The Metropolitan Police urge members of the public to ring them on 101 if they are aware of someone possessing firearms. Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111 and give information anonymously. Your call could save a life.

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