Stolen cars and 'cannabis farm' discovered by officers in early morning police raid
ITV News Central correspondent Lucy Kapasi joined West Midlands Police on an early morning raid as they targeted a garage they suspected of being a chop shop.
During an early morning raid of a suspected chop shop in Birmingham on May 9, West Midlands Police discovered not only discovered stolen cars and parts being used for resale, but a "cannabis farm" hidden behind a wonky mirror.
From the front, a house and its garage may look normal, but behind its walls could be what police describe as a series of units or "sheds" containing a number stolen car parts, otherwise known as a chop shop - which is exactly what the chop shop in Marsh Lane, in Erdington was like.
A chop shop is a "place stolen vehicles are taken to be dismantled and parts then sold on to unsuspecting members of the public."
Highly organised gangs of car thieves are believed to be working across the West Midlands - targeting expensive models, to strip them of parts to sell at so-called chop shops.
Police say the region is the worst area for selling stolen car parts outside of London and it prompted a new team within West Midlands Police to be set up, the Birmingham Vehicle Crime Taskforce.
PC Jake Galley, from the taskforce, says information from members of the public helped police identify the suspected chop shop in Erdington.
After being issued a warrant to raid the property, he says they found stolen cars and parts being used to repair seemingly legitimate vehicles.
Speaking to ITV News Central, PC Galley said: "The information we have about vehicles that have been brought here have been crash, not insurance repaired or insurance marked and then vehicles are stolen.
'The parts from the stolen vehicles are used to repair the vehicles that are legitimate, so you end up with a vehicle that to all intents and purposes looks normal and to the casual eye and the causal observer looks to be legitimate.
"But when you start digging into it there's parts from stolen vehicles used to repair those."
Once inside the site, and officers had cut into the units, they confirmed one vehicle, a black BMW 1 Series was stolen, as well as a bumper off a gold Audi R3.
Car parts could be seen scattered in the chop shop, with more out the back of the property, along with stacks of tyres, bumpers, and bonnets.
PC Jake Galley said: "I suspect there are cars that have been crashed and have damage that an insurance company wouldn’t want to repair.
"And they are not recorded on the insurance database."
PC Galley has urged car owners to buy not only make sure you buy from a trusted source but make it harder for cars to be stolen with trackers, steering locks and potentially a metal pole to block driveways. What can you do to make sure you're buying a car from a legitimate buyer?
Check the cars history if you're buying off someone from the internet and make sure it matches up
Check VIN points on the car – which can be found by Googling the model
Check the mileage matches
Get an independent company to check the car out
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