Undercover Gun Factory and Extremist Plot Uncovered at Essex Traveller Site
A major police operation has exposed a sophisticated gun and explosives factory operating from Britain’s largest traveller site, feeding illegal weapons to organised crime gangs and harbouring an extremist plot for a “race war.” The investigation, stemming from an anonymous tip-off in early 2024, has led to the jailing of multiple individuals, including the ringleaders Thomas McKenna and Tina Smith, who were stockpiling firearms and building improvised explosive devices.
The sprawling Buckles Lane camp in South Ockendon, Essex, once a community for travelling showmen, has been revealed as a breeding ground for criminality, with insiders and residents complaining of illegal rentals, anonymous living, and a significant influx of criminals and illegal immigrants. This has transformed the site into a black market caravan park, offering basic accommodation at bargain prices.
The Unravelling of a Dangerous Conspiracy
The investigation, codenamed Operation Eatchief, began when detectives received intelligence about Faisal Razzaq, a seemingly respectable businessman running a luxury car hire firm. However, Razzaq was deeply involved in the underworld, having previously served 11 years for his role as a lookout and getaway driver in the botched 2005 armed robbery that resulted in the tragic murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky.
Surveillance on Razzaq led officers to his associate, Pride Tuhwe, who was stopped on his way to the Notting Hill Carnival. Inside his vehicle, police discovered a converted Turkish Ceonic P320 blank-firing pistol, loaded with illegal ‘dum dum’ bullets – ammunition banned for its devastating expanding effect on impact.
Fingerprint and DNA analysis from the pistol pointed towards Thomas McKenna, a 60-year-old lorry driver with a history of firearms offences. McKenna had previously been jailed for nine years in 2005 for similar crimes. Under covert watch, police identified Ricky Dorey, a friend of McKenna’s residing at the Buckles Lane camp, as a key figure in distributing the illicit firearms. Dorey, with the assistance of his brother Robert, who had recently been released from a 16-year sentence for attempted murder, was selling guns to clients, including the high-level weapons supplier Razzaq.
Razzaq, using his legitimate car hire business as a front, facilitated contact with criminals seeking firearms. In one instance, Ricky Dorey was observed delivering weapons to Razzaq in Harrow. A subsequent police raid on Razzaq’s premises uncovered one of McKenna’s converted firearms hidden within a wardrobe. Razzaq and his associate Abdul Saleh were arrested the same day. During this period, detectives intercepted alarming communications from Razzaq instructing Saleh to shoot police if detained.
The Extremist Plot and Mass Arrest
The surveillance continued, focusing on McKenna and his girlfriend, Tina Smith, a 54-year-old bus driver. In September 2024, officers observed McKenna meeting a customer, Allan Crosby, in a residential street in Sidcup, south London. Crosby, who ran a luxury car business with Ryan Smith, was later targeted. A raid on their business premises uncovered another converted weapon and a cache of hollow-point ammunition.
With all key conspirators identified, a large-scale operation was launched on November 6, 2024, involving over 80 officers from armed units and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. McKenna was arrested at gunpoint at the Buckles Lane site. Dramatic footage captured the moment he was apprehended amidst a heavily armed police presence.
The subsequent three-day search of McKenna’s caravan revealed a fully equipped workshop containing a lathe, drill, and welding equipment. The hoard of weapons found included:
- Six converted Turkish Ceonic P320 blank-firing pistols.
- A .22 calibre single shotgun disguised as a torch.
- A replica AK47 assault rifle, ready to be converted into a live firearm.
- Component parts of a Sten Mark II submachine gun.
- Ammunition, including banned ‘dum dum’ bullets.
Beyond the firearms, the investigation uncovered a sinister extremist agenda. Police seized extremist material linked to McKenna’s far-right, anti-Muslim ideology. He and Smith were found to be stockpiling weapons and constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for an imminent “race war.”
Prosecutor Emily Dummett detailed McKenna’s chilling communications, which exhorted associates to arm themselves in preparation for “war” and to “unalive the fing lot of them” – referring to Muslims and immigrants. Messages revealed McKenna’s intent to “fully dominate the Muslims” and his plans to “blow s up.” Smith shared similar sentiments, stating in a text message, “They have to be gone from this country. Shoot them all.”
The couple’s casual attitude towards the dangerous arsenal was highlighted in text messages from 2022, where McKenna inquired about his lost pistol, only for Smith to reply it was in the top drawer. Smith had also sent videos of her attempts to make ‘black powder,’ though her efforts were met with criticism for her lack of expertise.
Buckles Lane: A Hotbed of Crime
The revelation of McKenna and Smith’s extremist plot has cast a spotlight on the Buckles Lane camp itself, which has ballooned into a black market caravan park. Insiders and long-term residents have voiced grave concerns about the site’s descent into lawlessness, citing illegal rentals of pitches and caravans, leading to an anonymous environment conducive to criminal activity.
Sources indicate that organised crime groups have infiltrated the site, causing distress to the showmen families who still reside there. Incidents of harassment and attempted recruitment into prostitution by criminal gangs have been reported. Despite previous complaints to local authorities and MPs, the situation has reportedly been left unaddressed, leaving residents living in fear.
Buckles Lane is authorised for 31 pitches for travelling showmen. However, this has been allowed to surge to 111 pitches without planning permission, accommodating 835 static caravans. A report by Thurrock Council revealed that an astonishing 76 percent of the site’s occupants are not officially supposed to be living there. The council has been accused of turning a blind eye, partly due to concerns about rehousing evicted residents. Many of these occupants are low-paid workers taking advantage of the cheap rents, estimated between £120-£170 per week.
The council’s report acknowledges that “levels of crime and anti-social behaviour from non-showmen are some of the primary reasons why households have moved away.” Despite enforcement notices and injunctions against unauthorised development, Thurrock Council has yet to carry out evictions or clearances, leading to criticism that they are allowing the site to become a lawless area.
The issues at Buckles Lane are not isolated. Similar disputes and unauthorised developments have been reported at traveller sites across the country, including in South Cambridgeshire, Wiltshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, and Bedfordshire. Whistleblowers suggest that some traveller landlords are prioritising rental income over adherence to regulations, creating illicit rental schemes. Local councils are often reluctant to take enforcement action due to the potential burden of rehousing displaced individuals, with some even directing homeless individuals to traveller sites as the only available accommodation.
Sentencing and Lingering Questions
The sentencing at Kingston Crown Court saw Thomas McKenna receive 16 years imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including firearms offences and attempting to make explosives. Tina Smith also pleaded guilty to making explosives and possessing documents related to terrorism. Allan Crosby was sentenced to ten years for possession with intent to supply cocaine and firearm possession. Ryan Smith received a seven-year sentence for firearm and ammunition offences.
Faisal Razzaq, who was convicted of manslaughter, robbery, and firearms offences related to the Bradford armed robbery, is due to be sentenced next month. He has admitted charges including conspiracy to sell prohibited firearms and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Detective Chief Inspector James Tipple of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command stated that the dismantling of this gang would remove “some of the most dangerous members of our society” from the streets. However, the investigation raises pressing questions about the extent of similar criminal operations operating undetected and whether authorities will act swiftly enough to apprehend them.
