Moment Zombie knife importer laughs and clutches huge wad of cash after selling weapons to schoolchildren online
A 20-year-old man from Brixton, south London, has admitted a string of offences after being caught running a criminal network that imported banned "zombie" knives and other weapons in bulk from overseas and sold them on, including to a schoolboy. Jonathan Soares filmed himself flaunting large amounts of cash while wearing a balaclava, footage released by the Metropolitan Police ahead of his sentencing, in a case that highlights ongoing efforts to curb the illegal knife trade despite a 2016 ban and subsequent tightened legislation.
Soares pleaded guilty to 12 offences at the Old Bailey, including evading the ban on importing and selling zombie knives and tasers, possession and supply of counterfeit cash, and providing phishing scripts for fraud. He was arrested in June after police linked him to a Telegram account advertising fraud and money-laundering services, later seizing seven phones, a laptop, an illegal flick knife and £7,690 in fake currency, along with a shipment of 150 machetes sent to Croydon. Investigators also found more than 2.5 million files revealing stolen personal data and bank-impersonation scripts, and traced weapons to a reseller, 18-year-old Rayhan Rahman of Chadwell Heath, who pleaded guilty to related offences and is due to be sentenced on 13 October 2026.
- Zombie knife importer Jonathan Soares, 20, pleaded guilty to 12 offences
- Police found 150 machetes, counterfeit cash and stolen data on his devices
- Reseller Rayhan Rahman, 18, also pleaded guilty; sentenced 13 October
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Jonathan Soares, 20, from Brixton, has admitted a series of offences linked to a criminal operation that imported weapons banned under UK law, including so-called "zombie" knives, and sold them on, with buyers reported to include a schoolboy. Zombie knives, large blades often marketed with aggressive designs, were outlawed in Britain in 2016, with rules tightened further since, as part of a wider effort to curb knife crime. The case is being heard at the Old Bailey, London's central criminal court for serious offences.
Alongside the weapons charges, Soares pleaded guilty to offences involving counterfeit currency and providing scripts used in phishing scams, pointing to a broader operation spanning weapons and online fraud. Police say he was traced through a Telegram account offering fraud-related services, and that a search uncovered large quantities of stolen personal data as well as a shipment of machetes. A second man, 18-year-old Rayhan Rahman, has also admitted related offences over his role reselling the weapons and is due to be sentenced separately in October 2026.
The case matters because it illustrates how illegal knives continue to reach buyers, including minors, despite long-standing import and sale bans, and shows how such networks can be intertwined with other forms of online crime such as fraud and money laundering.