Three charged after 3D-printed gun seized in West Midlands raid
A 3D printer was seized following a police raid on a property in the West Midlands.
Three men have been charged after in connection with an investigation into 3D-printed firearms operation in the West Midlands.
Ricky Plant, aged 42, from Solihull, was charged with conspiracy to manufacture, possess and supply firearms.
Bailey Middleton, aged 25, from Stonebow Village, Leicestershire, was charged with conspiracy to manufacture, possess and supply firearms as well as possession of a readily converted firearm.He was also charged with possession of a firearm and driving on false plates, having no licence and no insurance.
Daniel Smith, aged 38, from Loughborough, was also charged with conspiracy to manufacture, possess and supply firearms as well as possession of a firearm and possession of prohibited ammunition.
The charges come after West Midlands Police, in collaboration with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Leicestershire Police, arrested six people as part of a major operation into 3D-printed firearms.
The operation saw a weapon recovered from a car which was stopped by officers from the NCA’s Armed Operations Unit in Loughborough, Leicestershire. A blank-firer, which is believed to have been readily convertible into a live-fire weapon, was also seized at an address in the Loughborough area, along with materials used in the production of weapons and ammunition.
Jointly, in the operation, also saw a police raid take place at an address at a property in Solihull on Wednesday, where officers recovered a 3D printer.
Detective Superintendent Ryan Chambers, from the Major Crime Unit, said: “This is a fantastic collaborative result and has seen a potentially lethal 3D-printed firearm taken off the streets, along with another gun which could easily have been converted to fire live ammunition.
"While still rare in the region, 3D-printed guns are deadly and a valuable commodity among criminals.