A criminal gang of four has been convicted following the discovery of an illegal tobacco factory valued at over £500,000 in Birmingham.
The investigation began in May when officers stopped a vehicle in the Southside area of Birmingham. During the stop, police found several weapons including a baseball bat, wooden club, metal bar, and a knuckle duster, raising further suspicions.
Further inquiries led detectives to a property in Perry Barr, where over 400 kilograms of hand-rolled tobacco, worth approximately £177,000, were uncovered. Alongside this, more than 4,500 illicit cigarettes and £33,000 in cash were seized. Police confirmed that the property was operating as an illegal tobacco manufacturing site.
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Four suspects—Mei Yun Wang, Honpeng Yang, Zheming Han, and Xing Cai Lin—were arrested at the Perry Barr address. Subsequent searches revealed two storage units in Aston and Walsall containing additional tobacco products valued at around £275,000. The total haul from all raids included tobacco worth more than £450,000 and nearly £33,000 in cash.
Investigators identified the Walsall storage unit as registered to 45-year-old Wang. Along with Yang (46), Han (23), and Lin (50), all residents of Nash Square, the group was charged with conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to cheat the public revenue, and money laundering.
Despite denying the charges, the quartet was found guilty following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. They were additionally convicted of conspiracy to defraud Japan Tobacco Group, with Wang and Lin also found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue.
Detective Inspector Tom Lyons of West Midlands Police stated, “The value of cash and illegal goods seized highlights the significant financial gain criminals make at the expense of law-abiding citizens. We remain committed to dismantling such operations.”
Detective Constable Amy Sheldon-Wilson added, “This successful prosecution demonstrates our firm commitment to combating organized crime. Our investigation uncovered two defendants who defrauded public revenue of approximately four million pounds and spent years evading law enforcement while unlawfully in the UK.”
David Broadbent, Operational Lead at HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, emphasized the wider impact: “Illegal tobacco factories like this undermine legitimate retailers, fuel organized crime, and harm public health. The weapons and cash seized by West Midlands Police clearly illustrate the dangerous links between tobacco fraud and serious criminal activity that threaten our communities.”