Passenger caught trying to smuggle 'knife-gun' through Birmingham Airport

Stock photo, Birmingham Airport: Getty

A passenger has been caught trying to smuggle a lethal 'knife-gun' through Birmingham Airport.

The deadly blade could be loaded with .22 bullets and fired, and was just one of many illegal weapons seized by UK Border Force officers over the festive season.

Other weapons seized included parts from a German rifle-propelled grenade launcher, 100 'dum dum' bullets, which break up on impact causing devastating injuries, telescopic gun sights and an extendable baton.

There was also a boost in counterfeit goods such as fake UGG boots and Ralph Lauren polo shirts being seized as people tried to buy cheap branded Christmas presents from overseas.

Alex Lawther, from Border Force at Birmingham Airport, told the Solihull News: "Our officers are on constant alert, deploying the latest scanning technology and intelligence, to keep illegal weapons, drugs and goods out of the UK. Being unaware of the rules is not an excuse.

"Anyone caught trying to smuggle dangerous weapons into the country will have the weapons confiscated and could face prosecution."

Meanwhile, in late 2012, a number of strange smuggling attempts were foiled; one woman was arrested attempting to take cocaine from Colombia to Spain in 'breast implants'; a five-year-old boy was discovered in a man's suitcase at a Venice port; and a man was caught trying to smuggle hummingbirds in his underwear at Rochambeau airport in Cayenne.

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