Five arrested after £115,000 worth of drugs and firearms found
Five people have been arrested after two handguns and a stash of drugs worth £115,000 were seized by police after a New Year's Eve raid.
Officers executed the warrant in Jockey Road, in Sutton Coldfield, at around 3pm on December 31, following concerns from the community that the address was being used as a drugs factory.
Several large bags of harvested cannabis – valued at up to £115,000 – was discovered at the property, as well as two firearms.
It is suspected the guns are blank-firers that have been illegally converted to fire live rounds, say officers. They will be examined by ballistics experts to determine their viability and whether they are linked to any shootings.
Four men were arrested, while a fifth was detained after being found hiding under a divan bed.
All five men – aged 28, 34, 35, 38 and 39 years old – were arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation and gun possession. They remained in police custody on January 1.
Detective Inspector Francis Nock, from West Midlands Police, said: “This is a significant recovery of a large crop of drugs plus two handguns we believe are viable weapons.
“The warrant was conducted by neighbourhood officers on the back of information supplied by concerned members of the public.
“Thanks to them reporting their suspicions we’ve taken two potentially lethal guns off the street and arrested five people we believe are involved in organised crime.
“We really value information supplied by the public and will always act on it, where appropriate, to make communities safer.”
