Man who hid Russian and Japanese guns in shipping container at British marina jailed

A man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for hiding firearms in a shipping container.

Robert Weir, 56, was sentenced to prison following a police search of a warehouse at Sandpoint Marina in Dumbarton in March 2025.

Officers found a loaded, shortened Russian-made shotgun, a loaded Japanese shotgun, and two pistols with ammunition.

Weir pleaded guilty to numerous firearms offenses at the High Court in Glasgow.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing 1.7kg of cannabis at his home, with a street value of £17,202.

The Crown Office said Weir was sentenced to seven years and six months in court on Friday.

Prosecutor Sineidin Corrins, of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “This was a significant seizure of weapons with the potential to cause serious harm.

“These weapons are now decommissioned and Robert Weir will remain in prison for a long time as a result of his crimes.

“This case underlines our determination to continue to work with the police and other agencies to ensure these crimes are detected and those responsible are prosecuted using all the measures at our disposal.”

When police searched Weir’s home earlier in the day, they found four vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, digital scales and two swords, prosecutors said.

Officers found the firearms while searching the metal shipping container Weir had rented.

The Crown Office said forensic analysis of the Russian shotgun showed it was functional and designed to fire 16-bore shotgun cartridges.

The Japanese shotgun was built to fire 12-bore cartridges and was created as a firearm.

Weir’s DNA was found on some of the guns, prosecutors said.