Weapons, £50k cash haul and illegal tobacco found amid police crackdown in Birmingham city centre

Operation Fearless officers now tackling everything from retail crime to robbery in the heart of the city

A huge haul of illegal tobacco, £50,000 in cash and a number of weapons have been recovered as part of a new crackdown on crime in Birmingham city centre.

The discoveries, which come a week into the work of Operation Fearless in the centre, began as police stopped a car on Pershore Street at 3.15pm yesterday, May 7.

Inside the car, officers uncovered a baseball bat, wooden club, metal bar and knuckle duster. The driver was arrested.

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The Operation, which began earlier this year in Erdington, is now targeting the heart of the city, with officers hoping to tackle everything from retail crime and anti-social behaviour, to robbery and drug dealing.

A number of searches were carried out further afield as part of police enquiries, with more arrests made.

At an address in the Perry Barr area, officers found £40,000 in cash as well as counterfeit tobacco.

This was in the process of being weighed up and packaged to be sold on the black market, which police say comes at a "huge cost to the taxpayer."

Three men and two women remain under arrest today, May 8, for offences including conspiracy to defraud and possession of an offensive weapon.

In another search this afternoon, £10,000 in cash was seized. Det Supt Jim Munro, leading Operation Fearless, said: "Excellent proactive work in stopping a car has led to the recovery of a huge amount of cash and illegal tobacco.

"It’s the most significant success we’ve had since arriving in Southside last week, and just goes to show that Fearless is ready and able to tackle everything from anti-social behaviour to serious and organised crime."