Hunt for on-the-run gang member after killer set up underworld gun deal from jail

Dillon Cordova, 18, played a key role in the underworld gun deal set up by a convicted city killer from his jail cell - but failed to appear in court to be sentenced

A desperate manhunt is underway for a gang member who tried selling a gun in exchange for two stolen cars - after he failed to show at court to be sentenced.

West Midlands Police are hunting 18-year-old Dillon Cordova, from Birmingham, who played a key role in the underworld gun deal set up by a convicted city killer from his jail cell.

Armed police swooped on four men and a teenager involved in the deal last year, as they attempted to sell a handgun in exchange for two stolen cars. The men, from Birmingham, were arrested in Selly Oak, on August 9, 2023, as they sat in a Ford Fiesta waiting to make the deal.

In the back of the car, police found a blank firing gun which had been converted into a live-firing weapon, as well as ten live rounds of ammunition. Dillon Cordova, 18, was convicted for his role in the exchange at trial earlier this year, but is now wanted by officers after failing to show for his sentencing.

The other gang members were jailed. Ishmail Kaseba, 24, was sentenced for eight years and six months after being found guilty of conspiracy to sell the gun and ammunition. Furrukh Khan, 25, of Rocky Lane, Birmingham, was jailed for seven years and seven months for the same offences, and also possession of a shotgun which was found at his home.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was committed to a young offenders institution for three years for firearms and ammunition sale offences.

The gang were due to meet Drew Neale, 21, from London, who was for the exchange to take place on a nearby road when he was arrested by police. Neale, of no fixed address, was later jailed for six years and eight months for being involved in the sale of the gun and ammunition, and also handling stolen goods.

The gun deal had been set up by convicted murderer Teeko Le, who used a smuggled mobile phone while in prison to communicate with others. Le, 21, of no fixed address, was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to sell the gun and ammunition. That sentence will begin after he has served his minimum 20-year term for murder.

At just 18, Le used a handgun to shoot and kill an unarmed Naasir Francis, 22, at near point-blank range after a confrontation between rival gangs in Birmingham.

Le, of Liberty Rise, Surrey, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in 2021, and was jailed for life in November 2020.

The shooting came after long-running feud between Mr Francis and Darnell Donovan-Harris, 23, who was jailed for 18 years after being convicted of manslaughter and possessing a prohibited firearm.