Weapons smuggling

Smuggled weapons haul of automatic rifles and sub-machine 'could have been used in Paris-style attack on British streets'

The haul of 22 VZ58s, dubbed the "Czech AK47", nine Skorpion sub-machine guns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition were said to have had four times the firepower of the weapons that killed 130 in the Paris attacks last November

Duncan Atkinson, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey: "Each of the weapons was fully functioning. All of the ammunition was live.

"The assault rifles were designed for the Czech military, and were also used by Warsaw Pact countries during the Cold War, the court heard.

They could have fetched between £2,000 and £4,000 in the UK, having been bought for as little as £118 in Slovakia.

Mr Atkinson said they were capable of "a devastating rate of fire".

He added: "Their use in this country, hitherto, has been extremely rare because of their size.