Two men have been jailed following separate firearms investigations centred on Bootle, Merseyside, a development Merseyside Police welcomed in a statement on 28 January 2026 as part of the EVOLVE Bootle work to remove weapons and disrupt organised crime.
One of the individuals is Michael McNally, a boxing trainer from Southport Road, Bootle. McNally was jailed in November 2025 after officers recovered a semi‑automatic pistol, ammunition and cash during a search of his home. Reports say he was sentenced to 17 years after pleading guilty to offences including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, money laundering and possession of a firearm and ammunition; he has been publicly identified in reporting as having worked as a boxing coach and appearing on the Sky podcast series The Overlap.
The other case stems from a separate investigation that began after a grenade was found in the boot of a Ford Fiesta in Bootle in November 2024. A man was arrested at Heathrow Airport in connection with that discovery; local reporting at the time described him as 27 years old. Merseyside Police say the matter has since resulted in a custodial sentence as part of their wider firearms work.
Merseyside Police said both cases form part of the EVOLVE Bootle operation to ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ in areas affected by organised crime. The force has published figures showing a marked fall in shootings and firearm discharges in recent years — the force reports a 43% reduction in firearm discharges in the 2024/25 period — a decline it attributes to targeted enforcement and removal of weapons from the streets.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “We are determined to rid the streets of firearms and find all those prepared to store, carry and use them. These sentences should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in gun crime: we will find you, and you will face the full force of the law.”
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