AN investigation into the supply of a firearm led by our dedicated organised crime team has seen two men firmly tied to the offence and jailed for a combined 12 years.

Steven Savva, 61, tried to deny his role supplying co-conspirator Naheem Hussain, 50, with a 9mm Lugar pistol and over 50 bullets.

In the face of the evidence gathered by our Serious and Organised Crime team, he was convicted following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court and now faces a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

Following the suspected handover of the firearm in the area of Duck Lane, Thornwood, in July 2023, Hussain was seen getting into a taxi.

This taxi was then stopped in High Road, Epping, in a coordinated strike by armed officers.

Hussain, sat in the rear of the taxi, was detained while a search of the vehicle was carried out.

Officers found a bag containing a leather holster holding the Luger pistol, which was loaded with a magazine containing three rounds.

Also within the bag was a further 51 rounds of live ammunition.

Hussain was arrested, charged and soon admitted possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was jailed for five years and eight months in June last year.

Through further evidence gathering in the months following Hussain’s arrest, detectives established he received the firearm directly from Savva.

Armed officers were dispatched to execute a carefully coordinated warrant at an address linked to Savva in October 2023.

Savva denied charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition.

He was convicted earlier this month and appeared for sentence on Friday 17 April.

DI Frazer Low, of our Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said:

“Firearm offences are rare in Essex, but when they do arise, we have highly experienced teams whose sole focus is tackling serious and organised crime and keeping dangerous weapons off our streets.
“This investigation demonstrates the lengths we will go to in order to identify those involved in supplying firearms, build cases against them and bring them before the courts.
“No matter what level a criminal operates at in our county, they are never out of reach.
“We will continue to target those involved in organised criminality and do everything possible to prevent firearms from being used to cause harm in our communities.”