Cocaine, Cannabis in Mini-Marts: UK High Streets Under Siege

0:00On April 23rd, a BBC investigation just exposed how many marks on UK high streets are straight up slinging cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas, and prescription pills like pre-abolene. Undercover researchers hit shops in four West Midlands towns and got offers within seconds, buying cannabis for 30 pounds of pop and cocaine for. 95 pounds in places like Craily Heath. The problem stretches nationwide, with organized crime gangs pushing drugs, crystal meth, and heroin in over 70 shops from Devon to Northern. Ireland. In Dudley, spotters watch for cops outside stores, and raids turned up nitrous oxide, fake vapes, and counterfeit smokes. The worst in 20 years says local trading standards. Legit business owners are getting hammered, with knife fights, gun threats, and smashed windows scaring folks away. Once a lawn owner faced bricks through her glass four times after gangs tried to muscle in, while a grocer says he's on the brink of losing everything. To

1:01these, cut rate drug dins, councils like Sanwell and Dudley have shut down dozens of shops, 42 in Dudley alone through operation clearance, but crooks just pop up nearby. Trading standards once longer closures, up to 12 months or permanent for repeat offenders. Labour MP Liam Byrne calls it horrifying and demands zero tolerance laws with more enforcement cash to rip out this organized crime cancer before high. Streets crumble for good.