A YORK gun dealer accused of illegally smuggling AK-47 magazines into the United States will be free on bail as he awaits trial.

For now firearms dealer, Gary Hyde, managing director of York Guns in Dunnington, must remain in Western New York on GPS monitoring.

He pleaded not guilty and posted $50,000 cash bail yesterday.

However, U.S. District Judge Charles Siragusa is expected to decide in a week whether Hyde can return to England as he awaits trial.

Prosecutors acknowledge that the case could take a year to reach trial because of the volume of evidence they must secure which is now in the hands of European authorities.

York businessman Karl Kleber, a German-born weapons distributor, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a single count of smuggling the magazines into the U.S.

Another British arms dealer, Paul Restorick, was also indicted with Hyde and Kleberand may require extradition from England.

The 5,760 magazines were sold to a Chili-based company, American Tactical Imports. The company has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The magazines were illegal because they were Chinese-made; Chinese-made weapons are banned in the U.S. Authorities allege that the three men altered the magazines to appear that they were manufactured in Bulgaria