A new report from Trading Standards has revealed that up to half of convenience stores and vape retailers in certain areas of Britain are believed to have links with organised crime. Inspectors estimate that a third of American candy stores and one in four fast food takeaways in specific areas are suspected of being fronts for criminal activity.
Hotspot Map Identifies Corridors of Crime
The 'Hidden In Plain Sight' report includes a hotspot map showing where organised crime on the high street is widespread. It identifies two 'corridors of crime': one stretching from Liverpool on the west coast to Hull and Grimsby on the east coast, and another covering south coast towns across Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex. While hotspots are common in more populated areas, some can also be found in less obvious locations such as Great Yarmouth, which may be linked to the tourist trade.
Survey Findings and Officer Testimony
A survey found that 97 per cent of Trading Standards officers are aware of suspected organised crime groups operating out of shops on their local high streets. In an 'almost universal recognition', 99 per cent of officers reported an increase in the number of cash-intensive businesses opening on their local high streets since 2020. Furthermore, 72 per cent of Trading Standards professionals reported facing intimidatory behaviour or having been threatened with violence in the course of their duties.
Testimony shared with BBC News revealed shocking incidents: one female officer was threatened with rape, another was forced to watch pornography, and a third was 'poked in the breast'. One officer recounted how a suspect shouted 'I kill you, I kill you', while others found weapons such as axes, bats, blades and hammers in shops. There were also attacks on officers' cars and property, with trackers placed on vehicles and officers followed at work. One officer said a Kurdish crime gang selling illegal cigarettes and nitrous oxide canisters across the UK threatened to kill her and burn her house down.
Impact of Budget Cuts
Trading Standards warned that budgets for Local Authority Trading Standards services have been cut by up to 50 per cent over the last decade, with staffing reduced to minimum levels. This, coupled with resource challenges for other enforcement agencies including police, has coincided with the rapid spread of dodgy shops across the UK and the complex criminal networks that underpin them. These shops have a 'profound impact' on public safety and the viability of legitimate businesses, while putting consumer health at risk. Associated criminality includes anti-social behaviour, theft, violent crime, drug supply, modern slavery, and child sexual exploitation.
Ten-Point Plan to Reclaim High Streets
The report outlines a ten-point plan to 'reclaim the UK's high streets', including investing in Trading Standards, making the sale of illegal goods a trigger for licence review, and providing an additional £20 million to bolster Trading Standards resources for ports and borders.
John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: 'It is clear from this research that serious and organised crime is endemic across the UK, and the threat posed by illegitimate high street businesses is having a significant impact on the work of Trading Standards, and our ability to protect consumers and maintain the level playing field for legitimate business.'
Ed Woodall, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, added: 'Responsible convenience retailers are extremely frustrated with rogue traders operating with impunity in their local area. 85 per cent of retailers asked in our 2026 Crime Survey said that illicit trading has increased in their local area – this cannot be allowed to continue.'
Gillian Golden, chief executive of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, said: 'We commend CTSI and the ACG for putting together this report and fully endorse their 10-point plan. The media often conflate organised criminal networks with law-abiding vape businesses, when in fact these criminals just see illicit vapes as a commodity in the same way as illicit tobacco or counterfeit goods.'
