Man jailed for possession of firearm after Northwich arrest

Following an investigation, officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) traced Jason Varccianna to a premises in the town, where he was arrested on January 19 earlier this year.

The 37-year-old first came to the police's attention on December 11 last year when they were alerted to a car he was driving due to the levels of tint on the windows.

After being pulled over in Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, Varccianna exited the vehicle and told officers his name was 'Daniel Johnson'. 

When an officer went to retrieve his kit to test the window tint, Varccianna locked the car and ran off.

The vehicle was then seized, with further checks showing it belonged to Varccianna and was incorrectly registered to an address in Dalton Avenue, Stretford.

Two days later police refused a suspicious email request from Varccianna, stating he had given permission for a friend to collect the car from the police compound.

Jason Varccianna (Image: GMP)

The vehicle remained uncollected and was subsequently emptied by a third party in January following a disposal instruction from GMP.

But during their search, a gun was found hidden under the passenger seat in a black plastic bag.

Armed officers and crime scene investigators attended the scene and identified it was a viable firearm, later classified as an EKOL Gediz 9mm blank firing, self-loading pistol.

A thorough search also revealed a baton, GPS tags and paperwork indicating the car belonged to Varccianna.

Officers investigated Varccianna's phone to establish his movements on the night his car was seized and were able to place him in the immediate area in the moments after he fled the scene.

The gun found in Varccianna's car (Image: GMP)

GMP officers caught up with Varccianna in Northwich, where he was taken into custody. When he was searched, a Kinder Egg containing five wraps of hard white powder was found in his pocket.

Varccianna, of no fixed abode, denied charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and possessing an offensive weapon, but was found guilty after a five-day trial in July.

He appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday (August 27) where he was jailed for nine years.

DS Richard McCorry, from GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group, said: "Varccianna was caught with a deadly weapon which had the potential to inflict serious violence or end up in the hands of organised criminals.

One of the bullets found (Image: GMP)

"He went to great lengths to try and conceal his criminality, but ultimately, he was complacent, and he is now behind bars for a substantial amount of time.

"This investigation is an excellent example of collaboration between departments across Greater Manchester Police, and what started as a proactive vehicle stop resulted in a diligent investigation and a dangerous man being taken off our streets."