Most Read Stories of 2023 - Number 1: Illegal plastic chipping operation uncovered in Bromwich

An illegal, unregulated plastic chipping operation discovered in Bromwich has been ordered to pay £47,591 in costs and expenses, after Bakers Basco, working with the Police, uncovered more than 500+ bread baskets and dollies waiting to be chipped illegally.

Suspicious activity was first suspected back in October 2021 at Bisma Storage & Recovery in Bromwich when Bakers Basco were alerted via GPS tracking units embedded in its equipment that stolen bread trays and wheeled dollies were being deposited at the premises. The police were notified of the thefts and further evidence was secured via surveillance of the locked premises.

An anonymous call made to Bakers Basco one month later alleged that its equipment was being illegally chipped for profit. It was further alleged that illegal firearms were on the site – necessitating the need for police involvement. Bakers Basco’s investigations team gained access to the commercial premises under a search warrant on November 12th 2021.

Upon entry, it was established that an illegal, unregulated plastic chipping operation was in play, with 310 sets of wheeled dollies and 198 baskets (with a combined value of close to £10,000) found waiting to be chipped, but were able to be recovered. In addition, a significant quantity of destroyed equipment remained on site, beyond re-use and repair.

Based on the scale of the remaining dollies, it was calculated that between 2500-7500 plastic bread trays and at least 40 sets of wheeled dollies had been previously received (and already destroyed).  

At a recent county court judgement, the first defendant, Mr Jahangir Hussain, denied all knowledge of the illegal operation, asserting that his daughter, the second defendant Ms Zaina Hussain and prospective son-in-law Mr Ansari fled the country after police involvement – and both remain at large. He accepted that an illegal chipping operation was in evidence.

After considering all evidence, District Judge Griffiths took the view that Ms Zaina Hussain was solely responsible for the illegal chipping operation, stating that “it is clear that I have been satisfied that the second defendant has operated an illegal plastic recycling operation on a fairly large scale to the detriment of the Claimant... I am concerned she may continue to operate at a different location and therefore, it is appropriate for an order to be made delivering up possession of the Claimant’s equipment.”

As a result of the judgement, Bakers Basco has been awarded £47,591.86 in legal costs and expenses, as well as special and general damages for its stolen equipment, to be paid by the defendant. An injunction was also awarded, restraining Ms Zaina Hussain for an indefinite period from having any dealings with Bakers Basco’s equipment and an ongoing duty to deliver up any of Bakers Basco’s equipment coming into her possession in the future.

This case was just one of around 450 formal legal cases that have been initiated, as a consequence of Bakers Basco investigations. Many of these legal cases have resulted in securing restraining injunctions against third parties to ensure no further losses can be suffered from those defendants going forward. On top of this, thousands of cases have been resolved directly, when seeking to re-educate third parties on their unlawful conversion and interference with its plastic logistics equipment.

“This case helps raise awareness with the public and other businesses that the theft and destruction of our equipment is not a victimless crime,” says Stacey Brown, national investigations manager at Bakers Basco. “It can interrupt the supply chain, delivering bread goods to supermarkets and ultimately the consumer – and can have an impact on the price of a loaf of bread in your stores.

“I hope this case will serve to act as a deterrent to those parties who are tempted to engage in such illegal activity. Our equipment is designed to have a productive 8 year life cycle. If equipment is stolen, misappropriated and/or destroyed, it creates an unnecessary, avoidable carbon footprint to remedy the situation. Fresh plastic has to be sourced, the replacement bread trays and wheeled dollies manufactured and then re-integrated into the distribution network. That is wholly avoidable if offending third parties simply behaved themselves.”