Seven shops on Birmingham high streets were raided in May 2026, with police and trading standards seizing illegal cigarettes, vapes, nitrous oxide, and even weapons. The operations were part of a broader government crackdown on high street organised crime, after the West Midlands was named among four areas with the highest levels of such crime, alongside Greater Manchester, Kent and Essex.
Government Launches High Street Organised Crime Unit
The raids come after the government launched a new High Street Organised Crime Unit, aimed at targeting 'dodgy' shops. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the unit on social media, stating: 'Criminal gangs have exploited our high streets to launder their dirty money and undercut honest businesses. We're hitting back with a nationwide crackdown to shut these fronts down, seize dirty cash, drive organised crime off our high streets and put bosses behind bars.'
The unit, run by the National Crime Agency (NCA) over the next three years, will bring together government departments, police, and councils to target criminal networks operating in plain sight. This follows undercover BBC investigations that revealed hard drugs, including cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas, and prescription pills, being offered to customers at certain mini-marts in the West Midlands.
May Raids: Day-by-Day Breakdown
26 May: An operation saw a supermarket on Lozells Road raided by police and Trading Standards Officers. They seized 974 packs of illegal cigarettes, along with hundreds of blocks and packets of illicit tobacco and more than 20 tubs of shisha. West Midlands Police said selling dodgy goods 'is not harmless or low-level' and 'can fuel anti-social behaviour and violence.'
18 May: Three men were held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply nitrous oxide at a shop on Ladypool Road. The drug was found behind the counter, along with keys to a van parked metres away which also had evidence of nitrous oxide use inside it.
13 May: An illicit haul of alcohol, vapes, cigarettes, sex pills, medicines, and even dodgy eyeliner were seized from shops in Handsworth. Trading Standards and West Midlands Police raided 'Khyber 12' and 'All in One' stores on Soho Road. At Khyber 12, they discovered 71 packets of snuff (oral tobacco), 59 illegal vapes, and 104 boxes of illegal cigarettes. At All in One, the haul included 14 boxes of illegal cigarettes, over 300 packets of oral chewing tobacco, 213 packets of Viagra (six tablets per pack), 245 packets of oral antibiotics (six tablets per pack), and six bottles of harmful lead eyeliner. Police also pulled out two metal baseball bats and a machete from behind the counter; the shopkeeper initially claimed they were to cut sugar cane.
12-14 May: Three joint enforcement operations resulted in the seizure of thousands of pounds worth of illicit goods. In Aston, Trading Standards and officers seized more than 11,000 illicit cigarettes, 2kg of counterfeit hand rolling tobacco, and almost 200 illegal vapes, with an estimated value of around £10,000. On Ladypool Road, officers seized around 8,000 illicit/counterfeit cigarettes, 280 disposable vapes, nine large nitrous oxide canisters, and over 100 illicit smokeless tobacco products. Three arrests were made, one vehicle was seized, and more than £10,000 worth of illegal goods were recovered.
Wider Context: Vape Laws and Council Warnings
108 Birmingham shops were slapped with council warnings for breaking vape laws last year. Regulations laid out by the Council on vape sales outline the ban on the sale and supply of single-use (disposable) vapes, which came into force on 1 June 2025. The raids underscore the ongoing efforts to combat illegal sales and organised crime on Birmingham's high streets.
