How police exposed a Birmingham firearms factory after stopping a taxi in Aston

West Midlands Police uncovered a ‘firearms factory’ in Birmingham after officers stopped a taxi in Aston.

Officers approached the taxi after watching Reuben Keay, who was one of the gang behind the illegal outfit, getting into it after leaving the ‘factory’ on Shepherds Way in Oscott.  They stopped the vehicle after Keay had left the car with a red carrier back as he walked to his home address in Curlews Close in Erdington on August 10, 2019.

Inside they found another gang member called James Paragon and another red carrier bag. This one contained firearms and ammunition. Officer arrested Paragon and he was taken into custody. Officers then carried out a warrant in Shepherds Way, Erdington, where Anderson lived and arrested him.

One of the officers explained: “We seized bags containing boxes of live and blank ammunition, booklets for firearms, a 'gun case' with no firearm but component parts and a bag containing a broken down blank firing pistol. The ‘set up’ had all the equipment and materials required to convert blank firing weapons and construct homemade ammunition.  

“As a result of the weapons and ammunition being recovered this enabled the National Ballistics Intelligence Service to identify and link the items and the equipment recovered from Shepherds Way to eight additional recoveries of weapons and ammunition from other areas of Birmingham, Oxford and addresses in the Hampshire area.”

Police further explained that the weapons and ammunition were the same type discovered at the address in Shepherds Way and proved that the address was being used as a firearms making factory. There were two other men involved in the operation. Police have told how they found DNA belonging to Eric Kitson on a gun and ammunition at an address in Bromford, linking him to the weapons conversion factory. A fourth man called Aaron Anderson has also been jailed for his part in the illegal operation following a legal case at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday (December 4).

• Aaron Anderson, 46, was sentenced to 22 years for conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to supply ammunition.
• James Paragon, aged 29, was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to supply ammunition. Both had been found guilty following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
• Reuben Keay, 28, had been jailed for 22 years back in April this year after being convicted of conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to supply ammunition following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.  
• Eric Kitson had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to supply ammunition back in 2019 and was jailed at Stafford Crown Court in April for seven-and-a-half years.

Chief Inspector Peter Cooke, from the West Midlands Police Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) which fights organised crime across the region, said: “This was a significant seizure of weapons and ammunition which were being converted at the Erdington address. The four men have been jailed for more than 60 years and this sends out a clear message to criminals that we won’t tolerate organised crime in our region.

“This is part of our ongoing work to combat organised criminal activity including the manufacture and supply of weapons and ammunition across the West Midlands and this will carry on as part of Operation Target.

“We’re focused on those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime across our region. Anyone who has any information about organised crime can contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling us on 101. Alternatively you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”

Operation Target sees us taking a defiant stand against a range of serious and organised crime offences – from drug dealing and burglary to cyber crime and fraud.