Members Of Queen’s Elite Guards Allegedly Plotted To Sell Bullets To Drug Dealers Who Were Undercover Cops

Queen Elizabeth's senior enlisted soldier in the elite bodyguard regiment reportedly sold rounds of ammunition to an undercover police officer.

A buyer who turned out to be an undercover police officer arrested Regimental Sergeant Major Kirtland Gill, 41, the first-ever Black man to hold the post in the Coldstream Guards, allegedly selling hundreds of bullets with Lance Sergeant Rajon Graham. Both men are based in Windsor, Berkshire.

According to the Southwark Crown Court, the two soldiers had access to bullets issued for firing practice. Gill is charged with supplying the ammunition which Graham, 33, sold to the undercover officer for £5,800 ($6,920), at a Tesco car park in Windsor.

Duncan Atkinson QC, prosecuting, said, "The Coldstream Guards ... have a need for large quantities of ammunition both for combat and for training for combat." He added, "This defendant was part of a plan, with others, to sell ammunition to which they had access through their roles in the Army. Throughout... the defendant was in very regular contact by telephone and especially via Whats- App with Rajon Graham." The Coldstream Guards, seen in their red jackets and black bearskin hats, are considered the oldest continuously serving regiment in the army.

"Graham, in turn, was in regular contact with a man he believed to be involved in criminal activity, including activity relating to drugs, who he believed wanted to buy ammunition and indeed firearms... That man was and is an undercover police officer."

Gill was said to be the one responsible for managing the ammunition used in firing practice. On Dec. 17, 2020, Gill had an interview with a national newspaper about the promotion before meeting Graham and an undercover officer to hand over the ammunition in Bacofoil bags, the jury heard. Through WhatsApp messages, the mobile phone location data and police surveillance linked Gill to the scene.

Gill has denied conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition as well as the possession of a prohibited weapon. Meanwhile, Graham has confessed to selling 300 rounds of live 9mm ammunition worth £5,800 ($6,920), to a man he believed to be "involved in criminal activity and drug dealing," Atkinson said.