A man who stored a stash of deadly homemade guns and ammunition at his home for a friend has been jailed for five years.
Salvatore Lupi, 38, was snared by police following a search of his Glasgow flat in October 2023 and later learned during an interview with officers that his friend had died.
A court was told that the man, Graham Henderson, reportedly suffered from drug, alcohol and mental health issues.
He was said to have fallen on hard times and moved in with Lupi for a spell, bringing the firearms and ammunition.
When Mr Henderson eventually moved out, defence lawyer Allan Macleod KC said Lupi held onto the homemade “zip” guns for a few months in an attempt to keep them out of homeless hostels in the city.
Mr MacLeod said: “Mr Henderson was in a downward spiral. He was living in hostels.
“Mr Lupi took the view that it would be better for everyone if he took possession of the weapons.
“He recognises now that he held onto them for too long and that he should have contacted the police.
“He now recognises that he will have to live with the consequences of his actions.”
Mr Macleod added that Lupi’s fingerprints and DNA were not on the weapons.
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Lupi was caught after Police Scotland received intelligence that he was holding the cache for a man known to be involved in serious and organised crime, however no direct links between the pair were found.
Officers recovered nine “zip” guns from a cupboard in the hallway and from a TV unit in the living room.
Twenty rounds of hollow-point ammunition were also seized.
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Inside the cupboard, eight metal poles in polythene bags were found alongside other pieces of metal that had been threaded together to make a firing pin.
The poles – made up of two pieces of metal tubing screwed together – were homemade “smooth-bore zip-type guns” designed to successfully discharge a shotgun cartridge.
Lupi pleaded guilty last month to three firearms offences at the High Court in Glasgow.
He admitted having the weapons without authority, as well as two charges of having ammunition without a firearms certificate.
Lupi was sentenced to five years in prison by Lord Colbeck at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday.
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Moira Orr, head of homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This was an important recovery of weapons and ammunition that had the potential to cause significant harm on our streets.
“These weapons have now been taken out of commission and Salvatore Lupi will spend time in prison as a consequence of his crimes.
“This case underlines our commitment to continue working with the police and other agencies to ensure that these crimes are detected and those responsible prosecuted using all measures at our disposal.”
