FIVE Birmingham gang members, including one from Northfield, have been jailed for more than 40 years.
Jamie Scarlett, 21, of Dordale Close, was convicted of three counts of possessing firearms and ammunition, along with Courtney Farrell, also 21, from Sheldon.
Police say neither had extensive criminal records but were lured into gang culture in south Birmingham believing it to be an attractive, lucrative way of life.
Scarlett was jailed for 16 years and Farrell, who was stabbed last August by a member of a rival crew, for nine.
The pair were caught by West Midlands Police’s Organised Crimes and Gangs Team, alongside investigators from the Force Priorities Team, which uncovered a stream of message exchanges linking them to firearms and organised crime.
Some of the chats were with Jamaal Ahmed who was also jailed for six years after admitting conspiracy to supply guns.
Det Sgt Alan Teague, from the Organised Crime and Gangs Team, said: “That’s the beauty of this case.
“We didn’t find Scarlett or Farrell with guns stuffed into their waistbands or even found guns in their homes.
“What we did find was lots of message exchanges in which they discussed plans to buy firearms and commit offences – some in coded language – plus photos of them posing with firearms and grime videos glorifying gang culture.
“That enabled us put a compelling case to the jury – and these men have now paid the price for mixing in organised crime circles.”
A pellet pistol converted to fire live rounds, an antique .22 single-shot handgun and a sawn-off shotgun in a bag alongside a pink sock containing gun cartridges were recovered from a house in Bedlam Wood Road, Northfield, on June 6.
Examination of the sock revealed a forensic link to Scarlett.
Reece Brivitt and a 16-year-old, who cannot legally be named, were arrested during the 4.15am raid after being spotted hurling bags containing the firearms from a bedroom window in an attempt to distance themselves from the evidence.
The weapons were found by police officers and 24-year-old Brivitt was also jailed today for seven-and-a-half years while the teenager will spend three years in a youth offenders institute.
On July 26 another warrant was conducted in The Green, Northfield, where Farrell was arrested for dealing cannabis and cocaine.
Astute West Midlands Police officers, who were guarding the scene, spotted Scarlet drive past the property in a Ford Focus which was later found by plain clothes firearms officers outside an address in Epping Close, Frankley.
Scarlet emerged from the house where he was seen discarding a shotgun round and he was caught after being chased down an alleyway.
Farrell was stabbed in the chest on August 5 in Wareham Road, Frankley, by a rival gang member and 20 days later police raided his home in Blackmoor Croft, Sheldon, and seized mobile phones.
Detectives uncovered messages between Scarlett and Ahmed – from Westminster Road, Handsworth – revealing how Scarlet was attempting to acquire a firearm after the arsenal from Bedlam Wood Road was seized by police.
Ch Insp Nick Dale, who heads up the Birmingham Organised Crime and Gangs Team. said: “We really understand people’s concerns about gang-related activity that has surfaced in the last year, especially in the south of Birmingham.
“We’re talking about a small group of people who are causing concern for the wider public.
“We’ve responded with an intensive operation targeting suspects, people who are involved in drug dealing and linked to firearms – and are exploiting impressionable teenagers and grooming them into gangs to commit crime for them.
“It’s involved regular ‘lockdowns’ in key locations with police, armed officers and independent observers on the lookout for suspects and vehicles with gang links.
“We’ve made arrests, charged suspects, and seized a significant quantity of weapons.
“These are notable convictions against people affiliated to south Birmingham gangs – since their arrest and people linked to them, we’ve seen a significant fall in the number of reported firearms discharges in the area they operated.
“And it should act as a wake-up call to anyone who believes gang life is somehow lucrative or attractive: every day these people run the risk of being sent to prison for a long time, or killed or seriously injured through their own actions.”
Scarlett and Farrell previously admitted possessing Class A and B drugs with intent to supply.
Det Ch Insp Annie Miller from the Force Priorities Team added: “This result should reassure our communities, especially in south Birmingham, that West Midlands Police will not tolerate gun crime and if you carry guns you will be caught and face many years behind bars.”
