A woman has been jailed for nine years after authorities discovered an arsenal of firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and kilograms of heroin hidden inside her car at a major UK border crossing.

Kasha Sanderson, 40, was stopped by Border Force officers at Dover Eastern Docks on Feb. 24 last year after arriving on a ferry from Calais, France.

According to the National Crime Agency, Sanderson had been driving an Irish-registered Peugeot 3008 when officers pulled her aside for inspection.

When questioned about her recent travels, Sanderson reportedly told authorities she had been in Lyon, France, scattering ashes.

But a search of her vehicle quickly uncovered something far more serious.

Border Force officers found two specially constructed hidden compartments built into the vehicle’s footwells.

Inside the concealed spaces, investigators discovered a cache of weapons and drugs.

Authorities recovered 13 firearms, including two Skorpion submachine guns, an Uzi submachine gun, a Glock handgun and nine converted blank-firing pistols.

Alongside the weapons, officers also found 289 rounds of ammunition.

Investigators additionally uncovered 5 kilograms of heroin hidden within the vehicle. Authorities estimated the drugs had a potential street value of about £500,000.

Sanderson, who is from Naishcombe Hill in Wick, Bristol, was arrested at the scene.

During interviews with investigators, she initially claimed she believed she had only been smuggling cannabis.

However, prosecutors said the evidence pointed to a much more serious operation involving military-style firearms and large quantities of heroin.

Sanderson later admitted to importing firearms, ammunition and Class A drugs.

She was sentenced Thursday at Canterbury Crown Court to nine years in prison.

Officials say the case highlights the danger posed by illegal weapons trafficking and the criminal networks that rely on couriers to move contraband across borders.

National Crime Agency branch commander Rachel Bramley said the seized weapons had the potential to cause severe harm.

“Firearms crime in the UK is among the lowest in the world, but these guns had the potential to cause horrific damage,” Bramley said.

She added that removing the weapons from circulation prevented them from reaching dangerous criminals.

“These terrifying weapons and ammunition are out of the hands of extremely dangerous criminals,” Bramley said.

Authorities believe Sanderson was acting as a courier for an organized crime group involved in weapons and drug trafficking.

Bramley said the sentencing represents a major disruption to the criminal network behind the smuggling attempt.

“With Sanderson’s jailing, the organised crime group behind this smuggling plot have lost a trusted courier and profits they are unable to plough back into further offences,” she said.

The National Crime Agency credited Border Force officers with uncovering the hidden compartments and intercepting the weapons before they could enter the country.