22-year-old jailed for five years after missing person case led to discovery of drugs and firearm in Northampton

A man has been jailed for five years after a missing person investigation led to officers discovering a firearm and drugs in Northampton.

Kaya Mugugu was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Friday (August 4) after he was charged with firearms and drugs offences relating to a search in June last year of a property where he was renting a room in Sandy Lane Hill, Moulton.

On June 17, Thames Valley Police visited the address searching for a teenage boy who had been reported missing from the Milton Keynes area, after his mobile phone had been used to order pizza.

When officers attended the boy was not there, however during a search of the property a Colt revolver was discovered along with 1,805 wraps of crack cocaine and 69 wraps of heroin drug paraphernalia and scales and more than £10,000 in cash.

While officers were at the scene, two males returned to the house but fled when they saw the police activity at the address. A police dog tracked the males to the nearby river, where a dark green cap was found which was later identified to belong to Mugugu.

The 22-year-old then handed himself in at the Criminal Justice Centre in Northampton on June 23 and was subsequently arrested and later charged with firearms and drug offences.

Detective Constable Mike Anslow, of the West LPA CID team, who led the investigation, said: “I am pleased that we have managed to remove a firearm off the streets along with a quantity of Class A drugs, and I hope this sentence is seen as a deterrent to anyone who is on the periphery of getting involved in this type of criminality.”

Mugugu, who had pleaded guilty to the charges, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of a firearm. He also received a further 17 months to run concurrently for being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug, possession of a controlled Class A drug, possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate and acquire/used possession/criminal property. An order was also made to donate £10,367.15 to a local charity.