Two men have been charged with firearms offences after the recovery of three guns, ammunition and more than £100,000 in cash in Birmingham.

Sikander Farooq, aged 30, and Adam Sajjad, 19, both of Stechford, Birmingham, are accused of possession of a pistol, a revolver and a sawn-off shotgun, as well as five charges of possession of ammunition.

It comes after the weapons were found in a bag in an Audi S3 which was stopped by armed officers on Flaxley Road in Stechfordat around 10.20pm on Wednesday night (24 January).

“Searches of properties in the Shard End area uncovered the cash,” police confirmed.

Both appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court today (Friday 26 January) and were remanded in custody until a second hearing next month.

A third suspect, aged 17, was released on police bail.

Arrests

The driver of the Audi S3 was stunned using a Taser by officers as he tried to flee the scene, where officers found a revolver loaded with three rounds, a 9mm pistol with a magazine containing nine rounds, and a shotgun in a bag in a car.

The 30-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of firearms offences. Two other men, aged 17 and 19, were arrested for firearms offences in Shard End a short time later as part of the investigation. Around £105,000 in cash was recovered as part of searches of homes connected to the three arrests. All remain in custody today.

The arrests came after police officers received intelligence as part of a proactive investigation into organised crime and firearms in the city, the force confirmed.

“They form part of Operation Target, our combined effort to tackle serious and organised crime in the West Midlands.”

Operation Target

Det Ch Insp Ryan Chambers, from the West Midlands Police Major Crime Proactive Team, said: “To recover three live firearms in one stop is a great result, and has come as a result of information received from the community.

“We are absolutely committed to arresting and bringing to justice those involved in crime which cause the most harm to our neighbourhoods. Guns have such a significant impact on people’s lives when used in the hands of criminals, so seizing three is a fantastic result.”

According to West Midlands Police, Operation Target focuses on the most serious crimes – and includes the targeting of drug dealers, firearms, money laundering, organised immigration crime and the criminal and sexual exploitation of children.

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