Jailed: Man operated workshop converting blank firing pistols into lethal firearms from Smethwick home
A man who operated a workshop converting blank firing pistols into lethal firearms from his home in Smethwick has been jailed for five years.
Officers from the National Crime Agency’s armed operations unit raided 50-year-old Alireza Nowbakht’s property in Mallin Street, Smethwick, on December 22, 2022.
He had purchased seven of the weapons online from a legitimate supplier and had them delivered to a nearby address.
NCA officers had Nowbakht under surveillance as he picked up the consignment and took them back to his home.
Inside in an upstairs bedroom they found the makeshift workshop, including machining tools used to convert the guns, a viable weapon, live rounds of ammunition and ammunition casings.
