A man from Beckenham and a man from Croydon have been jailed over firearms offences after a police dog helped catch them.

Umar Pervez, of Midhurst Avenue in Croydon, and Kyal Truong-Clarke, of High Street in Beckenham, were both jailed for eight years at Kingston Crown Court on Monday.

Both men were found guilty on Tuesday, May 10 of conspiracy to transfer a firearm, conspiracy to possess a prohibited firearm and conspiracy to possess ammunition.

Truong-Clarke, 25, was also found guilty of possession with intent to supply cannabis.

On August 6, 2021, officers were carrying out an operation in south London when they saw Pervez, 23, carrying a holdall in Mitcham Common.

He was subsequently stopped but no longer had the bag.

The area was searched - including by police helicopter - and the holdall was sniffed out by a police dog chase.

It contained an assault rifle, magazine, and ammunition.

The gun was recovered and Pervez was arrested and taken into custody.

Further enquiries found he had been in contact with Truong-Clarke in the days leading up to the gun being found, and that Truong-Clarke had made enquiries about how much he could sell the gun for.

Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Masterson, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "I have no doubt that this weapon would have been used to kill or seriously injure somebody on the streets of London and I am pleased that we have removed that risk.

"Tackling violent crime is a top priority for the Met and we remain committed to doing all we can to keep the public safe.

"We have made significant progress in this area, with a 28 per cent drop in lethal barrel discharges compared with this time two years ago.

"The outcome of this investigation is testimony to the tireless work that detectives have put in to bringing these two men to justice.

"We will stop at nothing to dismantle organised crime groups and the supply of firearms and ammunition in London."

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