Trading Standards and West Midlands Police hit two shops as part of Operation Fearless
16:57, 15 May 2026Updated 17:51, 15 May 2026
DI Tom Lyons outside shops in Handsworth
This is the moment an illicit haul of alcohol, vapes, cigarettes, sex pills, medicines and even dodgy eyeliner were seized from shops in Handsworth.
Trading Standards and West Midlands Police raided ‘Khyber 12’ and ‘All in One’ stores on Soho Road, in a wider crack down on crime in the area on Wednesday (May 13).
They discovered 71 packets of snuff (oral tobacco), 59 illegal vapes and 104 boxes of illegal boxes of cigarettes at Khyber 12.
Read More: Operation Fearless targets knife crime, drugs and theft on Birmingham’s Soho Road
The bumper haul at All in One included 14 boxes of illegal boxes of cigarettes and more than 300 packets of oral chewing tobacco.
More worryingly, 213 packets of Viagra (six tablets per pack), 245 packets oral antibiotics (six tablets per pack) and six bottles of harmful led eyeliner were confiscated from behind the till.
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Mohammed Tariq from Trading Standards said at All in One: “We’ve found illicit tobacco, unlicensed blue sex pills, unlicensed medicines which were out of date by a few months.
“We also found unlicensed cosmetics like eyeliner which contains lead, we will get that tested to see what it contains.
“We found bottles with no labels so we don’t know what’s in there.”
Police pulled out two metal baseball bats and a machete from behind the counter which the shop keeper initially said was to cut sugar cane.
Read more What it will take to stop almost half the West Midlands bus service from being lost
The raid was part of Operation Fearless which is a major crime fighting initiative designed to flood Soho Road and the Handsworth Triangle with officers and other resources.
From April 27, to date, 45 people have arrested with some charged.
Dozens of 36 stop and searches have been carried out and 14 vehicles seized.
During the next nine months, an extra 20 officers will be working with specific agencies to tackle crime and deliver support to the vulnerable.
Deputy Chief Constable Jen Mattison said: ” Soho Road and the Handsworth Triangle is our third area for deploying the Operation Fearless team.
“When we are looking for a new area for the Fearless team we look for three things.
“Firstly is levels of crime and anti social behaviour that’s happening in an area that means it would really benefit in a surge in police resource to tackle those issues. Secondly, levels of community concern.
“Thirdly, the broad range of partners that we work with so having their willingness, capacity and capability to come and work with us and tackle those issues.”