London’s streets are safer today as two key players in the illegal gun trade face a combined 36 years behind bars, following a dramatic Met Police takedown.
Eric Aram, 35, and his associate Mohammed Guetfi, 33, were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court after an intensive, data-driven police investigation exposed their role in supplying deadly weapons and drugs.
Aram, a notorious firearms dealer, received 21 years and 7 months, while Guetfi, described as his “right-hand man,” was handed 14 years and 4 months after admitting to identical offences.
The case, led by Detective Inspector Sam Bennett, uncovered how firearms are illegally modified and circulated among criminals.
Despite no guns being found directly on the men, forensic evidence and incriminating digital footprints sealed their fate.
The investigation exploded into action in April 2023, when a police raid in Bayswater uncovered a converted blank-firing pistol hidden in a plastic bag.
A forensic sweep identified Aram’s fingerprints, leading officers to his home in November 2023, where they seized a firearms manual, a pistol container, a conversion drill, and £1,000 stashed in a vent.
Aram’s phone contained damning messages, exposing him as a prolific gun and drug dealer. Meanwhile, investigators used sophisticated phone-tracking techniques to pin down Guetfi, whose mobile downloads led to his January 2024 arrest.
“This operation sends a clear message: the illegal gun trade will not be tolerated in our city,” said Detective Bennett.
