Police seize six guns and drugs in raid at Southampton home

Three double barrel sawn-off shotguns and three revolvers were found when police stormed the address, in Old Redbridge Road, in January 2021.

Officers also found heroin and cocaine with a street value of approximately a quarter of a million pounds.

It comes as two people have been found guilty on Friday to drugs supply offences in Southampton, after a lengthy trial which began on March 18.

Three revolvers were found in the raid (Image: Hampshire Police)

Two others pleaded guilty at earlier hearings, one of whom also pleaded guilty to firearms offences.

Max Craig Alexander, 34, of no fixed abode, was described in court as the orchestrator and facilitator of the supply of Class A drugs from Liverpool into Southampton across 2020 and 2021.

He was supported by Stuart Marcus Forrest, 24, of Lyburn Close, and Steven and Suezanne Forrest, 56 and 48, of Cromer Road in Southampton.

The investigation, which was run by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary as Operation Boheme, coincided with Operation Venetic - an international operation targeting criminals using a mobile encryption service, commonly referred to as EncroChat, to evade detection.

Police found a sawn-off shotgun (Image: Hampshire Police)

Alexander had already pleaded guilty at earlier hearings for Operation Venetic charges including attempting to acquire a prohibited firearm, attempting to acquire ammunition without a firearm certificate, attempting to possess ammunition when prohibited, and to six counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine. He further pleaded guilty to additional counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He was found not guilty by the jury of conspiracy to possess a firearm without a firearm certificate and conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms. 

Steven Forrest and Suezanne Forrest were found guilty of conspiring to supply heroin and cocaine and conspiring to transfer criminal property.

Stuart Marcus Forrest had already previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to possess a prohibited firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm without a certificate, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Two other defendants - Kelly Ann Sinnett, 29, of Pasture Avenue in Wirral and Terry David Wells, 49, of Old Redbridge Road - were found not guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to possess a prohibited firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm without a firearm certificate and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

Sinnett was also found not guilty of failing to comply with a section 49 RIPA notice.

All four defendants will be sentenced on October 4 and 7.