Birmingham man jailed after Thompson submachine gun and ammunition found in house
A Birmingham man has been jailed for possession of a live submachine gun and 176 rounds of ammunition.
Anthony Patterson was sentenced to five years in prison after officers from the West Midlands Police major crime unit seized a live firing submachine gun from an address in Birmingham earlier this year.
Officers carried out a warrant at the Birmingham property before finding the Thompson submachine gun stashed in a toolbox, with the ammunition being discovered in a bin bag.
Shortly after the warrant took place, Patterson handed himself in to the police and was later charged with possession of an automatic firearm and possession of ammunition.
Both the weapon and the bullets were examined by specialist officers, who confirmed they were live and viable.
He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on July 24, and was sentenced to five years for firearms possession and two years for ammunition possession, both sentences will be served concurrently.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "Our teams have been keeping up the pressure on serious and organised crime as part of Operation Target.
"Op Target is our force-wide campaign of intensive police work targeting groups involved in drugs, firearms and serious/organised crime.
"The operation spans the wider West Midlands region, with WMP working alongside other forces and our Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) to prevent organised crime and bring offenders to justice."
