A man who told investigators he was preparing for the breakdown of society has been jailed for five years after amassing a lethal firearm and the means to manufacture live ammunition.
Stefan Fenyes, a 47-year-old Slovakian national living in Warwick, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 12 March 2026 for possessing a prohibited weapon and manufacturing live ammunition. His arrest followed a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation that uncovered a cache of weapons and hundreds of online purchases for specialist reloading equipment.
A “Doomsday Prepper’s” Arsenal
Fenyes was arrested at his workplace in Royal Leamington Spa on 20 March 2025. A subsequent search of his home revealed what Rick Mackenzie, the NCA senior investigating officer on the case, described as evidence of an obsession with guns and an intent to “assemble an arsenal of weapons.”
Officers recovered a viable Czech-manufactured pistol with a loaded magazine and live ammunition. They also found gun barrels, component parts, military survival guidebooks, crossbows, and knives.
Most significantly, the NCA uncovered 227 separate online orders made by Fenyes for items used to manufacture ammunition. These included tools to reload fired rounds, specially-made brushes to clean gun barrels, and boxes for storing ammunition—all of which were seized from his address.
“Useful Knowledge” for Invasion or Civil Unrest
In interview, Fenyes claimed the pistol had been sent to him by mistake. He stated that during a 2024 trip to Slovakia, the firearm was placed, unbeknownst to him, in a fishing tackle box he posted to his UK address.
He admitted to a keen interest in survivalism and “doomsday prepping,” telling NCA investigators he was learning to manufacture ammunition. Fenyes claimed this knowledge would be useful if the UK was invaded by a foreign state or in a scenario of large-scale civil unrest.
While the hobby of reloading ammunition—known as home loading—is legal in the UK under specific conditions, it is illegal to possess components with the intent to manufacture ammunition without a lawful basis for possessing the completed rounds. To reload legally, an individual must hold a Firearm Certificate (FAC) specifying the calibre and allowing for the storage of components.
Removing a Lethal Firearm from Circulation
Fenyes later admitted charges of possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of prohibited ammunition without the requisite certificates in April 2025.
Speaking after the sentencing, the NCA’s Rick Mackenzie emphasised the importance of the operation. “Our investigation has crucially removed a lethal firearm from criminal circulation, as well as live ammunition,” he said.
Mackenzie noted that while gun crime in the UK is among the lowest in the world, “suppressing the availability of illegal firearms to criminals is a priority for the NCA.” The agency works with international partners to seize illegal firearms and prevent their entry into the UK, with converted blank-firing weapons a particular concern.
The Czech-manufactured pistol found in Fenyes’s possession falls into a category of firearms that have concerned UK law enforcement. Some Czech manufacturers have expressed reluctance to supply the UK market due to its strict gun laws, but such weapons can still be illegally converted and imported.
Official statistics show that while the UK has comparatively low levels of gun crime, recorded firearm offences numbered 22,893 in 2023-24. The NCA stresses that a significant proportion of these involve threats and intimidation, often by organised criminal groups, rather than discharges.
