Bakers Basco exposes Bromwich chipping scam | MRW

Nov 05, 2024

The operator of an illegal plastic recycling operation in Bromwich has been ordered to pay £47,591 to Bakers Basco after police found more than 500 bread baskets and dollies waiting to be chipped.

Zaina Hussein of 6 Jesson Street, West Bromwich, was found solely responsible at Birmingham County Court on 3 October.

The court ordered that Hussein pay the bakeries equipment supplier £16,618 damages, £973.86 in interest and £30,000 in costs as well as issuing an injunction barring any possession of its equipment.

District Judge Griffith’s judgment read: “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.”

The judgment noted the defendant was not present in court, with Bakers Basco saying she had fled the country after police became involved in the case. Claims against Jahangir Hussain, reportedly Zaina’s father, were dismissed.

The company said suspicious activity was first suspected at Bisma Storage & Recovery in October 2021, when embedded GPS tracking units showed stolen bread trays and wheeled dollies at the premises.

A month later, an anonymous tip said Bakers Basco equipment was being illegally shredded for profit. The tip also said illegal firearms were on the site, requiring police involvement.

Bakers Basco’s investigations team gained access in November 2021, finding 310 sets of wheeled dollies and 198 baskets waiting to be chipped. It said they had a combined value of close to £10,000. Based on this, Bakers Basco estimated that between 2,500 and 7,500 plastic bread trays and at least 40 sets of wheeled dollies had been previously destroyed.

The company said this was one example of the 450 legal cases it has initiated after tracing equipment. The company first exposed the organised theft and recycling of stolen trays in 2020, following a six-month investigation alongside news outlets.

Stacey Brown, Bakers Basco’s national investigations manager, said: “This case helps raise awareness with the public and other businesses that the theft and destruction of our equipment is not a victimless crime.”