A man who operated a workshop from his home in the West Midlands, converting blank-firing pistols into lethal firearms, has been sentenced to five years in prison. Alireza Nowbakht, 50 years old, was arrested after officers from the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Armed Operations Unit conducted a raid at his property on Mallin Street, Smethwick, on December 22, 2022.
During the raid, NCA officers discovered a makeshift workshop in an upstairs bedroom, equipped with machining tools used to convert the blank firing pistols into functioning firearms. Additionally, they found a viable weapon, live rounds of ammunition, and ammunition casings. Nowbakht had purchased seven blank firing pistols online from a legitimate supplier and had them delivered to a nearby address. NCA officers had been surveilling him and witnessed him picking up the weapons and bringing them to his home.
Outside the property, a stolen VW Tiguan was parked, which had been taken from nearby Wednesbury 12 days prior. The car had been disguised with cloned number plates.
After being interviewed by NCA officers, Nowbakht was charged with possessing a firearm, possessing ammunition, and theft of a motor car. He pleaded guilty to the charges, and during a Newton Hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on July 10, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
Kay Mellor, NCA Regional Head of Investigations, expressed the agency’s commitment to tackling the illegal firearms trade. She stated that Nowbakht was purchasing blank firers and converting them into lethal weapons, intending to distribute them in the criminal supply chain in the West Midlands. Mellor highlighted the importance of seizing illegal firearms and preventing them from reaching the streets, where they contribute to acts of serious violence.
