More than £1.6 million found hidden in bed in Sutton Coldfield seized by National Crime Agency
Officers found cash stashed away.
More than £1.6 million discovered hidden in a bed in Sutton Coldfield has been recovered after an application was made by police chiefs.
National Crime Agency applied for a forfeiture order after a flat in Kenelm Road, Sutton Coldfield, was allegedly used by an organised crime group.
The raid was carried out as part of Operation Venetic – the UK's response to the take-down of encrypted comms platform EncroChat.
Officers found a total of £1,656,040 in cash inside a double divan bed.
On the left-side of the bed, the cash had been counted and on the right side of the bed were bags of uncounted cash.
The bags were written on with dates and names of EncroChat handles – users’ nicknames, the National Crime Agency confirmed.
Professional electronic cash-counting machines, a ledger showing cash collection records, digital scales, a heat-sealing machine and plastic pouches – likely to have been used sealing one kilogramme blocks of drugs.
Two men aged 45 have been arrested as part of the investigation and released under investigation.
And a man aged 37 is wanted as part of the inquiry.
Officers found two kilogrammes of cocaine inside his car and £56,000 in his wardrobe when they searched his home.
NCA operations manager Rick MacKenzie said: "The recovery of this money is excellent news for the public purse and crucially deprives an organised crime group of a lot of cash.
"That money can no longer be used to reinvest in more offending. Our investigation continues."
The uncontested forfeiture order was granted on Friday at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
