Poland’s Police Central Investigation Bureau (CBSP) has seized 48 firearms, 30,000 rounds of ammunition and several grenades in an operation carried out in three provinces.
The firearms included 12 pistols, 16 rifles and shotguns and 20 submachine guns.
“Additionally, the police have secured 30,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, hand grenades, anti-tank grenades, a 122mm mortar shell, detonators and tools for manufacturing ammunition,” CBSP spokeswoman Iwona Jurkiewicz told PAP (Polish Press Agency).
The operation was carried out in the eastern Lubelskie, south-eastern Swietokrzyskie and southern Slaskie provinces, Jurkiewicz said.
Eight people have been detained in connection with the case and face charges of organised crime, trading in illicit weapons and ammunition, and possession of weapons without the required permits, which together carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, the latest seizure is part of a larger series of operations.
“A total of 156 different firearms, over 60,000 rounds of ammunition as well as grenades, explosives, tools for manufacturing or modifying firearms and ammunition and gunpowder have been seized as part of the investigation so far,” the National Prosecutor’s Office said.