Words by West Midlands Police
Operation Fearless and Erdington neighbourhood officers have been working with Birmingham City Council’s Trading Standards team to seize thousands of pounds worth of illicit goods from Erdington High Street.
Since launching in Erdington in January 2025, Fearless has maintained a presence there, and now has a renewed commitment to tackling High Street organised crime.
On three days in early October, Fearless officers and neighbourhood policing colleagues attended three separate stores on the High Street, carrying out searches of the premises and linked vehicles.
With Trading Standards, they seized a total of more than 150,000 illicit cigarettes, as well as thousands of packets of hand-rolling tobacco, and other unlicensed and counterfeit goods such as tablets and energy drinks.
The value of the goods seized stands at more than £150,000, and an investigation into the shops and those involved is continuing.
Det Sgt Chloe Morgan, from Operation Fearless, said: “Joint operations like this are so important in acting on community concerns around shops selling illegal goods, profiting from them and putting the public at risk.
“Neighbourhood officers are based in Erdington and have excellent knowledge within the community. They are listening to locals, and we are all working together alongside local authority partners to act.
“Op Fearless has a proud history of serving the Erdington community, we know how important the High Street is to everyone in Erdington, and we urge locals to keep passing on information and concerns so we can continue to protect legitimate businesses and keep the public from harm.”
For more on the police and crime in Erdington visit www.westmidlands.police.uk/area/your-area/west-midlands/birmingham/erdington/
You can also follow the Erdington police team on Twitter www.x.com/ErdingtonWMP
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This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 16 October.
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