Two arrested in Dudley over suspected drug supply through shops

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs through shops in the West Midlands, police say. The man and woman were arrested on Thursday in the town of Dudley, according to West Midlands Police, who added that they expect to make more arrests. The arrests come after a BBC investigation found cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas and prescription pills being offered for sale in mini-marts on UK High Streets. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the government was "absolutely focused" on tackling such criminality, pledging stronger powers and more police officers to do so. West Midlands Police did not release the names of those arrested and did not indicate if they are linked to the BBC's investigation into mini-marts. In a news release, the force said: "In Dudley, we've today arrested a man and woman on suspicion of supplying drugs through shops in the borough. They're currently in police custody for questioning." It said it was "aware of media reporting around the issue of drug dealing", adding that it wanted "to reassure our communities in Dudley, and across the wider region, we won't tolerate illegal activities and are taking action". During the BBC's investigation, drugs were readily offered to its undercover researchers, who secretly filmed in shops across four neighbouring West Midlands towns. As part of the investigation, the BBC also analysed dozens of local news reports. From Bideford in Devon, to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, to Belfast in Northern Ireland, the analysis found that drugs had been found in more than 70 shops and linked premises, including crystal meth and heroin. The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) both told the BBC that shopfronts were being exploited by criminal gangs which had gained a foothold pushing illegal drugs across the country. He pledged more neighbourhood police officers "actually on the high street, in your patch and identifiable", and increased powers for them to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime. "We've already changed some of the rules in relation to how we deal with incidents in shops, but we must do this, we're absolutely focused on it and I understand why people are concerned about it," he told reporters. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the revelations "another example of the increasing lawlessness that is sadly such a feature of our towns and cities". "That is why the Conservatives have a plan to take back our streets," she said, pledging swift and proper punishment for those who sell drugs, funding for 10,000 extra police officers and "live facial recognition to crime hotspots". The Liberal Democrats called the findings "shocking", accusing the Conservatives of having "hollowed out our police forces and now Labour is failing to restore them fast enough". The party's home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said: "Organised gangs are exploiting this and communities are paying the price. We urgently need more police on our streets so that criminals know there are consequences for their actions." Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said the investigation had exposed "the reality of a soft-touch Britain that has allowed organised crime to take over our high streets". "Years of Tory and Labour failure have hollowed out town centres and let criminal gangs flourish," he said, adding that Reform UK would deliver a "zero-tolerance crackdown on crime, restore visible policing, and ensure those who break the law are properly punished".