Five charged after West Midlands Police seizes more than £40k, weapons and illegal tobacco
Five people have been charged after officers seized more than £40k, weapons and a huge haul of illegal tobacco.
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West Midlands Police’s Operation Fearless officers stopped a car on Pershore Street, Birmingham, on Wednesday (May 7).
The officers carried out further enquiries and a number of searches were carried out.
At an address in the Perry Barr area, officers found counterfeit tobacco which was in the process of being weighed up and packaged.
More than £40,000 was also seized as part of the investigation and the property that was searched was then boarded up with an Operation Fearless sign.
Police worked closely with colleagues from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, who have now seized the tobacco and are helping with the ongoing investigation.
The following people were charged by West Midlands Police for this incident:
Xing Cai Lin, aged 49 – Conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to cheat the public revenue
Zheming Han, aged 23 - Conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to cheat the public revenue
Chun Hui, aged 67 – Four counts of possession of an offensive weapon, possession of criminal property, conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to cheat the public revenue
Hongpeng Yang, aged 45, - Conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to cheat the public revenue
Mei Yun, aged 45 - Conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to cheat the public revenue
All five appeared before city magistrates today (Friday, May 9).
Operation Fearless, which launched in Southside last week, brings a focused police presence to tackle everything from anti-social behaviour and retail crime, to drug dealing and organised crime.
Fearless also works with partners such as the council and transport companies to improve the quality of life for people who live, work and visit the area.
