A routine traffic stop in Wednesbury took an unexpected turn when Uzair Mohammed, a 25-year-old passenger, confessed to carrying a firearm, leaving police officers stunned.
The incident occurred on February 7, around 9:40 pm, when officers on patrol noticed someone throwing a canister from a Vauxhall Astra. Believing it to be nitrous oxide—commonly inhaled as laughing gas—the police stopped the vehicle. Inside, they found Mohammed, seated in the passenger seat, alongside a female driver.
During the stop, officers observed a balloon and a nitrous oxide canister, often used to inhale the drug. When asked if he had anything on him, Mohammed calmly admitted to having a gun in his man-bag—a statement so unexpected that officers initially doubted its sincerity. A search revealed a converted blank-firing firearm with a barrel length of 10cm and total length of 22cm. The gun was unloaded but accompanied by two rounds of compatible ammunition and £550 in cash inside the bag.
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Mohammed told authorities he had found both the firearm and the nitrous oxide canister on a local youth and had intended to hand them in, though he later admitted to inhaling the nitrous oxide. He chose not to name the youth to avoid being labeled a “snitch.”
At Wolverhampton Crown Court, it was noted that Mohammed had a prior conviction for possession of a bladed article earlier in 2024 and was already breaching a suspended sentence at the time of this offence.
Defending lawyer Sachin Rajput described Mohammed as remorseful, acknowledging the severity of carrying the firearm. Despite this, Judge John Butterfield KC emphasized the seriousness of the crime, imposing a five-year prison sentence for possession of a prohibited firearm, ammunition without a certificate, and nitrous oxide.
Mohammed appeared via video link from HMP Birmingham to receive his sentence on November 27. His startling confession during the police stop proved pivotal in the case, ultimately sealing his fate behind bars.