A BURNLEY businessman who was minding a loaded gun, a £6,000 drug stash and cash for serious criminals has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

The gun contained four cartridges with hollow points which expand on impact to maximise injury, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Father-of-two Lee Wayne Smith, 31, who was arrested at a property in Aspen Drive, Burnley, told officers he had been asked to look after the firearm and did not know it was loaded.

Smith, of Brockenhurst Street, Burnley, was yesterday jailed after earlier admitting possessing a prohibited firearm, two counts of possessing ammunition, possessing cannabis with intent to supply and money laundering.

He will face a proceeds of crime hearing on November 16.

Recorder Dennis Watson QC told the defendant: “You must be well aware, as must any adult who reads a newspaper or listens to the television or radio of the misery and lives that are wrecked by firearms being in circulation and being used by those who are more criminally involved than you.”

He added: “It was being looked after for serious criminals and it was a loaded gun which could be fired and could be used to cause death or at the very least serious personal injury.”

Michael Goldwater, prosecuting said the loaded gun, which had been converted from a gas powered weapon, had been found in a grass seeds box on a shelf.

A total of more than two-and-a-half kilograms of cannabis was found in the garage and house.

Police also found £4,360 in bundles in the fridge. Two passports and five mobile phones were also in the property.

The hearing was told Smith had no relevant previous convictions.

Philip Holden, defending, said Smith had set up a business to provide engineering services to the bakery and paper mill industries. He had taken out a £4,000 loan from an unscrupulous money lender and the more he paid back the more he was asked to pay. He got himself into trouble and he and his family were being threatened.

The barrister added: “He is adamant he has never seen nor touched that firearm but knew pretty much what it was.”

Detective Inspector Stuart Dixon from Burnley CID said: “The message to those who think they can profit from crime in Lancashire and get away with it is clear.

“We will not only investigate your criminal activity and put you before the courts.

"We will also use the latest legislation to strip you of the ill-gotten gains you've generated from those crimes.”