A drug dealer has been jailed after telling National Crime Agency officers who stopped his car: “There’s thirty grand in there and a handgun.”
Daniel Pickavance, 27, of Otley Way, Watford, was stopped by the officers on 29 October 2025 as he drove along Watford Road, Radlett, in Watford.
He made the confession and directed officers to the driver’s side back seat of the VW Golf where he had stashed the Top-Venting Blank-Firing pistol (TVBF) and over £30,000 in cash.
The gun was loaded with five 8mm bullets.
Officers searching his associated properties found 3.3 kilos of cannabis, over £5,900 cash, and a cash counting machine.
Pickavance, who is a plumber by trade, answered no comment in interview but admitted multiple charges at St Albans Crown Court on 2 December 2025. He was sentenced to a total of six years at the same location today [Friday 27 February 2026].
He was sentenced to five years and for months for these offences, and a further eight months for breaching a suspended sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm for which he was convicted in October last year.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer Matteo Sole said:
“Pickavance was caught red-handed with a dangerous weapon that he no doubt used as a tool for his drugs trade.
“The amount of incriminating evidence collected by our officers left him with no alternative but to plead guilty.
“The NCA is committed to protecting the public from the threat of firearms and drugs by pursuing criminals like Pickavance and taking them off the streets.”
In February last year, nearly 3,000 Turkish-made TVBFs were surrendered in an amnesty organised by the NCA and National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Tests showed the firearms were readily convertible with common DIY tools without specialist skill and therefore illegal under section 1 (6) of the Firearms Act 1982 meaning they are prohibited firearms under section 5 (1) of the Firearms Act 1968. Possession of one of the guns could result in a 10-year prison sentence.
A similar amnesty for five types of Italian-made Bruni TVBFs took place throughout February 2026.
27 February 2026
