Mark Kirkby and Ku Wing Kwok plead guilty to possessing illegal firearms and ammunition without a license when they appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on 1 March 2021.

On Thursday, they were jailed for five years each.

Police Scotland received intelligence that Mr Kirkby, 38, would be involved in the transfer of firearms in the car park of Ardeer Golf Club in Stevenston, North Ayrshire on 1 September 2020.

Officers launched a surveillance operation and watched as Mr Kwok, 42, arrived in a car at 4.24pm. Half an hour later, at 4.58pm, another car, with Mr Kirkby in the front passenger seat, arrived and parked right next to Mr Kwok’s vehicle.

Mr Kirkby opened the boot of Mr Kwok’s car and emptied the contents of a drawstring bag. Both cars then left in different directions.

Mr Kwok was pulled over as he headed towards Greenock on the A78.

When officers searched the car, they found five replica pistols which had been modified to shoot live ammunition. There were also two boxes of 9mm bullets.

Later that evening, Mr Kirkby’s home in Stevenson was searched where six mobile phones and £2,970 in cash was found.

Procurator fiscal for major crime, David Green, said: “The possession of illegal and potentially deadly firearms is extremely dangerous and poses real harm to the community.

“Removing these guns from the streets goes some way towards removing that harm.

“Police and prosecutors will continue to work together to do everything in our power to keep firearms off the streets.”