Police pulled man over because of his tinted windows - it ended with him being jailed for years

It was a routine traffic stop. Jason Varccianna, who was driving his car with tinted windows, had been pulled over by police after being spotted on Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton.

On December 11 last year, officers had been alerted to the vehicle due to the levels of tint on the windows. Varccianna, 37, pulled over and got out the vehicle.

He then gave officers a false name, telling them he was called Daniel Johnson, before locking the car and fleeing the scene. Weeks later, they uncovered a 'deadly weapon' stashed in the back.

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After Varccianna had fled, the car was seized, with checks showing it belonged to him and was registered to an address on Dalton Avenue in Stretford. It later transpired the vehicle had been incorrectly registered there.

Two days later, Varccianna emailed police stating he gave permission for a friend to collect his car from the compound. This request was declined due to suspicious circumstances, and the vehicle was never collected.

On December 15, Varccianna attended an appointment with police and refused to confirm who was driving the car, but was arrested for being wanted over unrelated matters.

In January, the vehicle was emptied, where a gun was found hidden under the passenger seat in a black plastic bag. Armed officers and Crime Scene Investigators attended the scene and identified that it was a viable firearm, later classified as an EKOL Gediz 9mm blank firing, self-loading pistol.

A thorough search also revealed a baton, GPS tags and paperwork indicating that the car belonged to Varccianna.

Extensive phone work was then conducted on Varccianna’s phone to understand his