Man guilty of smuggling suppressors in from the UK

By Chris Eger

A Tennessee man originally from Britain was found guilty by a federal jury Monday after he sent six suppressors back to the states from that country without the proper licensing or permits.
Paul Gratton, 50, of Murfreesboro, was found guilty of five counts of illegal importation, shipment, receipt, and possession of firearms/unregistered silencers after a two-day trial.
According to court documents, Gratton, who holds passports from both the U.S. and Britain, owns UK Aero, a helicopter servicing business in Tennessee. While traveling to England in 2015 for work and to visit his sick mother who still resides there, he purchased six rimfire suppressors over the counter — which is legal in that country — paying about $50 for each. He then disassembled the devices and shipped some suppressor components to his business in the U.S. via DHL labeled “aircraft-related parts” then carried other parts with him in his checked luggage when returning to the Tennessee.
What tipped off authorities to the action was a call from one of Gratton’s employees to federal agents. The employee turned confidential source forwarded pictures of the parcel containing the suppressor parts as well as text messages and an email from Gratton about the items. Once Gratton returned

Source: Guns.com