A BBC undercover investigation found cocaine, cannabis, nitrous oxide and prescription pills being offered for sale in mini-marts on UK High Streets in the West Midlands and beyond.
Researchers filmed covertly in shops across four neighbouring towns after a law enforcement whistleblower warned that drug gangs had effectively taken control of a 300m stretch of High Street in the Black Country, calling it “lawless.”
In Cradley Heath, a shop identified as Cradley Market sold a variety of substances. An undercover researcher was told “I’ve got weed, coke, everything.” The researcher bought 3.5g of cannabis for £30 from a man who gave the name Akwa. When asked about cocaine, Akwa phoned a contact and a gram was delivered hours later and sold for £95. He also showed images on his phone of prescription medicines and invited the team to photograph them. When confronted on camera, he denied wrongdoing and asked the BBC to leave. Sandwell Council said it is working with police to tackle illegal activity.
Across the neighbouring borough of Dudley, Trading Standards lead Kuldeep Maan said organised crime has taken hold on some High Streets. He described the sale of illegal drugs, counterfeit cigarettes and illicit vapes as the worst he has seen in two decades. Maan said his teams had closed 39 shops for selling illegal cigarettes in 12 months and repeatedly found cannabis, cocaine, nitrous oxide and counterfeit or foreign prescription drugs during raids.
Undercover visits to Lye and Brierley Hill produced offers of cannabis, cannabis vapes and nitrous oxide. In Brierley Hill, a worker directed the investigators to a flat above a shop, where they twice bought cannabis from occupants. The BBC team later withdrew plans to confront the flat’s sellers for safety reasons after two large uncollared dogs appeared. The flat and shop share a landlord who said he was “shocked,” denied prior knowledge and said he had reported concerns to police.
Nitrous oxide — commonly known as laughing gas and classified as a Class C drug — was readily available in Dudley town centre. At one shop, an employee asked how many canisters were wanted, handed over balloons and instructed the researcher to wait outside. Minutes later a hooded man took cash and handed over a canister; the team made two purchases in this manner. Dudley Trading Standards said it is investigating reports of laughing gas being sold to children. The shop involved denied the BBC’s allegations. A local business owner told the BBC they regularly saw people inhaling laughing gas bought from the premises.
As part of a wider probe, the BBC also reviewed dozens of local news reports and found that drugs including crystal meth and heroin had been discovered in more than 70 shops and linked premises across the UK, from Bideford to Great Yarmouth and Belfast.
Local traders described intimidation and violence linked to the problem. Grocery owner Marius Boros said customers were frightened to visit his store because of frequent fights and threats. Hairdresser Diane Shawe said her windows had been smashed repeatedly and CCTV captured hooded men throwing bricks at replacement glass in the early hours; after one incident, two men allegedly visited her to pressure her to sell the premises.
The team observed so-called “spotters” outside mini-marts and was followed and photographed by mini-mart workers on Dudley High Street. Trading Standards officers told the BBC that securing long-term closures is difficult: anti-social behaviour powers allow shops to be closed for three months but require witness statements from businesses and the public, and offenders often reopen elsewhere. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has called for closure orders to be extended to 12 months, with the option of permanent closure for persistent offenders.
Dudley Council said it launched Operation Clearance in August 2024 to remove businesses run by organised crime and has closed 42 shops to date. West Midlands Police said it will work with partners to respond to complaints about illegal drug sales, anti-social behaviour and crime. The Home Office said the government is coordinating with police, the National Crime Agency and Trading Standards to take “the strongest possible action against these criminal businesses.”
Liam Byrne, chair of the Business and Trade Committee, who was shown the items the BBC found, called for urgent government action. “We can’t restore our High Streets unless we take out the cancer of organised crime,” he said, urging new resources, tougher laws and a zero-tolerance approach to organised crime operating openly on High Streets.
Additional reporting by Phill Edwards.