Two brothers smuggled 22 illegal tasers into Kent expecting to earn some “nice little dosh” by selling them on.

Dealers were waiting at Dover Eastern Docks as the men arrived in a British registered Land Rover.

But Canterbury Crown Court heard the expensive vehicle was stopped when the men claimed they were looking for work.

And before they could get to the buyers, officers unearthed the stun guns stashed inside an Adidas sports holdall in the rear of the vehicle.

Now Lithuanian brothers Donatas, 27, and Giedrius Armalys, 23, were yesterday each been given five-year jail terms after admitting smuggling the stun guns into Britain.

The court was how officers also discovered indecent child images on their mobiles – which their lawyers dismissed as “a grotesque joke” between the brothers.

They admitted possessing seven illicit images and received concurrent sentences.

Judge Rupert Lowe was told that more than £2,000 in cash seized by the Border Force officials in March is now subject to other legal proceedings.

Border Force officials found texts between the brothers about the potential sale price of the eight different type of stun gun – expected at 130 euros each.

And when officials translated the Lithuanian texts it revealed the brothers were hoping they would receive “nice little dosh”.

The judge told them that the only use for the weapons, which were disguised as torches, was illegal and he ordered they be destroyed along with power chargers and the two mobile phones.

The investigation was by the National Crime Agency.

Branch commander, Matt Rivers, said after the sentencing: “One of the stun guns recovered was capable of delivering a 50,000-volt shock.

"In the hands of violent criminals or gangs these are extremely dangerous weapons which have the potential to cause serious harm.

“Stun guns are prohibited weapons and neither of the brothers would give an explanation as to why they were bringing them into the UK.

"Given the number seized we believe they would have ended up being sold on the black market.

“We will continue to work with our Border Force colleagues to target those bringing illegal weapons into the UK, and those caught with items of this nature can expect to serve a prison sentence."

Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe, said:

“We are determined to prevent potentially deadly weapons such as these from reaching the UK’s streets.

“As well as making physical checks on arriving vehicles and cargo, Border Force works with their fellow law enforcement partners, like the NCA to detect and stop dangerous weapons at the border.

"Our work led to the seizure of more than 10,000 offensive weapons last year.”