Words by Ed King
Officers from the recently formed special police unit Operation Skybridge have arrested three men in the Erdington constituency and charged them with possession with intent to supply, after seizing Class A drugs and money.
After stopping a car on Jackdaw Road, Perry Common, in the early hours of Friday 25 October, two men were found to be holding what police described as “a stash of drugs and haul of cash.”
Shaun Williams, aged 35, of no fixed address, and Daniel Griffiths, aged 31 from Erdington, were arrested and charged with possessing drugs with intent to supply.
The pair were then processed and appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court the following weekend, with a date set for their case to be heard at Birmingham Crown Court on 25 November.
Preceding the arrests, and acting on information gained, officers from Operation Skybridge were able to apprehend and charge another suspected local drug dealer.
Rielle Forbes-Brown, aged 23 from Erdington, was arrested for possession with intent to supply after being found with drugs, money, and “multiple mobile phones” in a car on Chudleigh Road, Erdington, on Thursday 24 October.
Mr Forbes-Brown has been remanded in custody until his day at Birmingham Crown Court on 22 November.
Following all the arrests and the suspects being processed into the courts, a spokesperson from West Midlands Police told: “We’ve seized Class A drugs and secured charges after our proactive crime team swooped on vehicles in Erdington.
“Officers from the Op Skybridge team stopped a car in Jackdaw Road during the early hours of last Friday (25 October) and recovered a stash of drugs and haul of cash.
“We arrested two people who have since been charged with possessing drugs with intent to supply.”
They added: “We detained another man after acting on information and stopping a vehicle in Chudleigh Road on Thursday [24 Oct] morning.
“We found drugs, multiple mobile phones and a quantity of cash.”
As defined by the Misuse of Dugs Act 1971, narcotics in the UK that fall under Class A include cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, crystal meth, LSD, and magic mushrooms.
Jail time for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs can vary depending on the amount seized, and the perceived role the offender plays in the distribution of the drugs.
The lowest level offender can be let off with a high level community order, but most will be looking at a minimum of around two years behind bars – with the most serious facing life imprisonment.
Operation Skybridge was recently launched with officers from the Birmingham Proactive Crime Team, with a mandate to tackle street level and community crime such as robbery, assault, home invasions, burglaries, and drug dealing.
A spokesperson from WMP added: “Our Op Skybridge team is made up of plain clothed and uniformed officers who target areas where information is received about crime that affects our communities.
“This includes those believed to be involved in robbery, burglary and drug crime.
“If you have any information about crime in your area then please call us on 101 quoting #OpSkybridge. The intelligence we receive will be considered and acted upon.”
Members of the public have also been invited to contact West Midlands Police though the Live Chat facility on their website, or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
For more on West Midlands Police visit www.westmidlands.police.uk
For more on Crimestoppers visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org