BBC News4/23/2026Crime1 min read

BBC Investigation Reveals Drug Sales in West Midlands Mini-Marts

Undercover researchers bought cannabis and cocaine from shop workers including one named Akwa at Cradley Market

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A BBC investigation has uncovered cocaine and cannabis being openly sold in mini-marts across the West Midlands.
Undercover researchers secretly filmed in towns including one shop called Cradley Market, where a worker named Akwa supplied 3.5g of cannabis for £30 within seconds and later provided cocaine, saying he had "weed, coke, everything".
The Home Office said it is working with police, the NCA and Trading Standards to take action.

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Why It Matters

This BBC undercover investigation documents the sale of illegal drugs in retail shops in the West Midlands region of England, raising concerns about drug availability in local communities.

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Cocaine and cannabis are among drugs being readily offered for sale in High Street mini-marts, a BBC investigation has revealed. Undercover researchers secretly filmed in towns across the West Midlands, including one shop called Cradley Market. One of those researchers met Akwa, who works behind the counter there. It took just seconds for Akwa to supply him with 3.5g of cannabis for £30. "I've got weed, coke, everything. Whatever you want, I can sort you out," Akwa told the researcher, later supplying him with cocaine. Akwa denied any wrongdoing when the BBC's UK Editor Ed Thomas later confronted him. When asked about selling drugs, he said he did not know what he was talking about, before asking Ed and his team to leave. The government is working with police, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Trading Standards to "take the strongest possible action against these criminal businesses", a spokesperson for the Home Office said. West Midlands Police said it would always work with partners "to act on complaints about illegal drugs sales, anti-social behaviour, and crime and disorder".