Dramatic video shows armed cops swoop on gangsters before gun deal in Birmingham

Three men and a teenage boy, aged 17, from Birmingham were about to swap the handgun for two stolen cars with a criminal from London. But cops got wind of the meeting and swooped on the gang as they waited in a Ford Fiesta in Selly Oak, Birmingham, on August 9 last year.

The raid, which was part of Operation Target, resulted in four men and one teen being jailed. In the back of the Fiesta was a blank firing gun which had been converted into a live-firing weapon, and ten live rounds of ammunition.

In the Fiesta were Dillon Cordova, 18, Furrukh Khan, 25, Ishmail Kaseba, 24, and a boy who is now 17. London-based gang member Drew Neale, 21, was arrested while he waited in a nearby road.

Detectives discovered convicted murderer Teeko Le, 21, had masterminded the deal from prison using a smuggled mobile phone.

The gang were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (1/11).

Le, of no fixed address, was jailed for six years after he was found guilty of conspiracy to sell the gun and ammunition.

It will start at the end of the minimum 20-year term which he is serving for murder.

Le was aged 17 when he shot Naasir Francis, 22, after a confrontation in the Lozells area of Birmingham in August 2020.

Mr Francis was unarmed and tried to get away, but was killed by Le who used an automatic pistol - possibly a Glock weapon - in broad daylight.

Kaseba, of no fixed address, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after being found guilty of the same offences.

Khan, of Rocky Lane, Birmingham, was jailed for seven years and seven months for the same offences, and also possession of a shotgun which was found at his home.

Neale, of no fixed address, was jailed for six years and eight months for being involved in the sale of the gun and ammunition, and handling stolen goods.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sent to a young offenders institution for three years for firearms and ammunition sale offences.

Cordova was convicted at trial earlier this year but failed to appear for sentencing and is being hunted by police.

Detective Insp Amar Patel, from the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands, said: “Had we not intervened when we did, this gun would have been handed over and been used in further criminality – to threaten or harm others.

“The gun had DNA of Khan and Cordova on it, along with that of the 17-year-old.

“We will relentlessly pursue those involved in gun crime in the West Midlands, and ensure they are brought to justice.”