Car carrying cocaine worth £5m stopped by police’s new road crime team on M5

Officers pursued, stung and boxed in a car on the motorway, which resulted in the seizure of 36kg of cocaine, last month

12:20, 13 May 2025Updated 12:25, 13 May 2025

A car carrying cocaine worth an estimated GBP5.4m was stopped by West Midlands Police's new crime team on the M5.

The third Road Crime Team (RCT) targets criminals involved in serious and organised crime as well as key burglaries.

Last month, officers pursued, stung and boxed in a car on the motorway, which resulted in the seizure of 36kg of cocaine.

Their incepters counterparts also carried out a pursuit which ended in Bearwood and followed a violent carjacking in Smethwick[3].

The suspect was arrested and charged.

The team arrested a suspected organised crime group leader in a van in Birmingham[4].

It also safeguarded three vulnerable people believed to be exploited workers.

The team will complement the targeted work of its 24/7 interceptors, who work tirelessly round the clock protecting our communities.

They use unmarked, high-performance cars - as well as distinctive Interceptors - to pursue and arrest criminals.

In addition to three Road Crime Teams, dedicated Road Harm Prevention Team (RHPT) officers aim to tackle the Fatal 4 offences behind most deaths and serious injuries on the roads - speeding, drink/drug driving, mobile phone use and not wearing a seatbelt.

In the last three months, more than GBP1m of stolen vehicles have been recovered by Road Crime Team officers.

While more than 50 people were arrested and large amounts of Class A drugs and cash were seized.

It said other highlights include the use of specialist tactics to stop a vehicle in Coventry, recovering drugs worth more than GBP2.5m and arresting a suspect in March and the arrest in February of a man believed to be linked to the theft of cash machines from businesses.

Also, the teams worked with another police force last month to successfully arrest a man in the West Midlands who was wanted for the attempted murder of one of their officers.

Supt Gareth Mason, head of Roads Policing in the West Midlands, said: "We are absolutely dedicated to making the roads of the region safer, and targeting the criminals who use them.

"The creation of this third road crime team shows how dedicated we are to that mission.

"Our officers are working 24/7 as we aim to achieve Vision Zero - working with partners such as council,s others to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030, and to reduce it to zero by 2040."

References

1. ^ Memory fund for mum killed in crash after tributes to her 'beautiful presence' (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^ Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham moment city becomes 'official babs' with US namesakes (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
3. ^ Smethwick (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
4. ^ Birmingham (www.birminghammail.co.uk)