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New vape shops will require planning permission and rules will be tightened to prevent businesses describing themselves as a general convenience store or retailer, under government plans aimed at improving high streets. Ed Thomas has exposed organised crime on high streets, revealing shops selling illegal cigarettes and vapes, selling... show more

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Absolutely scandalous. Illegal immigrants are running phoney mini-marts selling smuggled cigarettes and even vapes to children. Our high streets are being used for organised crime, and the government is looking the other way. It’s time these sham businesses were shut down and these criminals deported.

Absolutely scandalous. Illegal immigrants are running phoney mini-marts selling smuggled cigarettes and even vapes to children. Our high streets are being used for organised crime, and the government is looking the other way. It’s time these sham businesses were shut down and these criminals deported.

Zia Yusuf

499,552 views • 10 months ago

'You've shone a light on an issue that your viewers will be very familiar with' On #BBCBreakfast Home Office minister Dan Jarvis spoke about the launch of a new £30m High Street organised crime unit after the BBC's year-long investigative reporting into illegal mini-marts, vape shops and barbers

'You've shone a light on an issue that your viewers will be very familiar with' On #BBCBreakfast Home Office minister Dan Jarvis spoke about the launch of a new £30m High Street organised crime unit after the BBC's year-long investigative reporting into illegal mini-marts, vape shops and barbers

BBC Breakfast

14,947 views • 4 months ago

We’re locking up chocolate bars rather than locking up shoplifters & high streets have been taken over by organised crime for illegal cigarettes, drugs and yes even chocolate. The Centre for Social Justice has a plan to repair our broken high streets coming soon!

We’re locking up chocolate bars rather than locking up shoplifters & high streets have been taken over by organised crime for illegal cigarettes, drugs and yes even chocolate. The Centre for Social Justice has a plan to repair our broken high streets coming soon!

Matthew

10,741 views • 3 months ago

🚨NINE FOREIGN BARBERS ON ONE BLOCK – MASS MIGRATION HAS TRANSFORMED OUR HIGH STREETS! 🤔 Uncontrolled Migration Turns Once-Proud High Streets Into Dodgy Cash Laundering Zones Once-thriving British high streets are now unrecognisable. Nine foreign-run barber shops crammed onto a single quiet block, with barely any customers in sight. How do they all survive squeezed next to each other? Legitimate turnover can't explain it – it's economically nonsensical without something else at play. This explosion is nationwide: Turkish barbers, vape shops popping up 3, 4, 5+ on every street, often overnight. Mass migration has fuelled this transformation – flooding the country with people who set up these low-overhead, cash-heavy shells. Many operate as fronts for money laundering, washing dirty cash from drugs, trafficking, organised crime, and illegal working. The hard evidence: In 2025, Operation Machinize (including its massive second phase) saw authorities raid nearly 3,000 high street premises – barbers, vape shops, minimarts targeted nationwide. Results? Over 900 arrests, £10.7 million+ in criminal cash seized, millions in illicit goods (illegal vapes, tobacco, cannabis) destroyed, plus direct links to money laundering, illegal immigration, modern slavery, and serious crime networks. Our communities and legitimate businesses are suffering while these setups proliferate unchecked. The high street isn't what it used to be – mass migration policies have changed it forever, turning high streets into criminal hubs.

🚨NINE FOREIGN BARBERS ON ONE BLOCK – MASS MIGRATION HAS TRANSFORMED OUR HIGH STREETS! 🤔 Uncontrolled Migration Turns Once-Proud High Streets Into Dodgy Cash Laundering Zones Once-thriving British high streets are now unrecognisable. Nine foreign-run barber shops crammed onto a single quiet block, with barely any customers in sight. How do they all survive squeezed next to each other? Legitimate turnover can't explain it – it's economically nonsensical without something else at play. This explosion is nationwide: Turkish barbers, vape shops popping up 3, 4, 5+ on every street, often overnight. Mass migration has fuelled this transformation – flooding the country with people who set up these low-overhead, cash-heavy shells. Many operate as fronts for money laundering, washing dirty cash from drugs, trafficking, organised crime, and illegal working. The hard evidence: In 2025, Operation Machinize (including its massive second phase) saw authorities raid nearly 3,000 high street premises – barbers, vape shops, minimarts targeted nationwide. Results? Over 900 arrests, £10.7 million+ in criminal cash seized, millions in illicit goods (illegal vapes, tobacco, cannabis) destroyed, plus direct links to money laundering, illegal immigration, modern slavery, and serious crime networks. Our communities and legitimate businesses are suffering while these setups proliferate unchecked. The high street isn't what it used to be – mass migration policies have changed it forever, turning high streets into criminal hubs.

J Stewart

36,281 views • 6 months ago

"There's a real concern about high streets that have been hollowed out, particularly in former industrial areas." Andy Burnham wants to make it harder for new vape shops and betting shops to open in England, as he seeks to revive the high street

"There's a real concern about high streets that have been hollowed out, particularly in former industrial areas." Andy Burnham wants to make it harder for new vape shops and betting shops to open in England, as he seeks to revive the high street

Sky News

506,296 views • 1 month ago

Almost half the convenience stores and 1 in 4 take away shops on high streets in some parts of Britain are suspected of being a front for organised crime, according to a new Trading Standards report. It has published a map identifying streets full of what it calls "dodgy" shops that sell counterfeit and potentially harmful goods. Nick Dixon reports.

Almost half the convenience stores and 1 in 4 take away shops on high streets in some parts of Britain are suspected of being a front for organised crime, according to a new Trading Standards report. It has published a map identifying streets full of what it calls "dodgy" shops that sell counterfeit and potentially harmful goods. Nick Dixon reports.

Good Morning Britain

46,613 views • 4 months ago

🚨National Crackdown On Dodgy Vape Shops The government announced new measures following major investigations into organised crime fronts What's known locally as Foreignation Street in Grimsby has been targeted in a joint operation by trading standards, immigration enforcement, police and the Reform council leader Oliver Freeston At least 3 shops in Freeman Street and 1 in Hainton avenue Grimsby were raided today. Full video 👇🏻 The new extended closure powers for high street shops are expected to come into force in early 2027 All these shops were back open trading as soon as the police and trading standards and immigration left

🚨National Crackdown On Dodgy Vape Shops The government announced new measures following major investigations into organised crime fronts What's known locally as Foreignation Street in Grimsby has been targeted in a joint operation by trading standards, immigration enforcement, police and the Reform council leader Oliver Freeston At least 3 shops in Freeman Street and 1 in Hainton avenue Grimsby were raided today. Full video 👇🏻 The new extended closure powers for high street shops are expected to come into force in early 2027 All these shops were back open trading as soon as the police and trading standards and immigration left

Active Patriot

37,457 views • 1 month ago

Marlon West, as Restore Britain mayor for Greater Manchester, will launch a high street crime taskforce to crack down on the vape shops and Turkish barbers plaguing Greater Manchester. We're backing Marlon S West (Scarlett’s Dad).

Marlon West, as Restore Britain mayor for Greater Manchester, will launch a high street crime taskforce to crack down on the vape shops and Turkish barbers plaguing Greater Manchester. We're backing Marlon S West (Scarlett’s Dad).

Restore Britain

57,686 views • 2 months ago

Ever wondered why there are so many neon-lit phone repair and vape shops in your local high street? A new BBC investigation has found that many are money-laundering fronts for the international people smuggling gangs conducting the small boat crossings in the English Channel. One in Woolwich was caught offering to facilitate the smuggling of two illegal migrants for £2,700. An Islamic honour-based finance system called Hawala ensures legal migrants in Britain can sponsor family and clan members for smuggling into Britain as illegal immigrants, using brokers in these currency exchange, phone, and vape shops. While business rates and COVID lockdowns have destroyed local businesses, organised crime is making a killing and replacing the honest brokers in our towns and cities. The government know it's going on, and do nothing.

Ever wondered why there are so many neon-lit phone repair and vape shops in your local high street? A new BBC investigation has found that many are money-laundering fronts for the international people smuggling gangs conducting the small boat crossings in the English Channel. One in Woolwich was caught offering to facilitate the smuggling of two illegal migrants for £2,700. An Islamic honour-based finance system called Hawala ensures legal migrants in Britain can sponsor family and clan members for smuggling into Britain as illegal immigrants, using brokers in these currency exchange, phone, and vape shops. While business rates and COVID lockdowns have destroyed local businesses, organised crime is making a killing and replacing the honest brokers in our towns and cities. The government know it's going on, and do nothing.

Connor Tomlinson

174,336 views • 4 months ago

Dodgy barbers, vape shops, and candy stores are ruining our towns. The owner of this barbershop in Kent was convicted of drug smuggling. But it’s still here, claiming that it’s “open”. The problem isn’t just about organised crime – these shops make high streets look messy and crowd out legitimate businesses. Today, Zia Yusuf has announced Reform’s plan to stop all this. It will mean: Mandatory prison sentences and huge fines for employing illegals, sending in the police and letting the public help identify the dodgy operators. Shutting these places down will be just the start; we’ll help you set up a business too - with no VAT until £150k, lower taxes for employing Brits, more police and no business rates at all for pubs. It’s time to get our high streets back!

Dodgy barbers, vape shops, and candy stores are ruining our towns. The owner of this barbershop in Kent was convicted of drug smuggling. But it’s still here, claiming that it’s “open”. The problem isn’t just about organised crime – these shops make high streets look messy and crowd out legitimate businesses. Today, Zia Yusuf has announced Reform’s plan to stop all this. It will mean: Mandatory prison sentences and huge fines for employing illegals, sending in the police and letting the public help identify the dodgy operators. Shutting these places down will be just the start; we’ll help you set up a business too - with no VAT until £150k, lower taxes for employing Brits, more police and no business rates at all for pubs. It’s time to get our high streets back!

Robert £15k TAX FREE Jenrick

353,480 views • 1 month ago

🚨SHOCKING: VAPE SHOPS EXPOSED AS THE NEW FRONT FOR GROOMING GANGS ABUSING KIDS AS YOUNG AS 11! 😱 😡 Authorities Knew About This Horror Since 2016 But Failed To Protect Our Children Again! 😤 A shocking new investigation has exposed how illegal vape shops and mini-marts popping up everywhere are fronts for organised grooming gangs. These are the new chicken shops where so much abuse has taken place before. Trading Standards raids in Dudley, West Midlands have uncovered the disgusting truth: • Children as young as 11 are being lured with free vapes, cigarettes and sweets in exchange for sexual favours • Staff caught with large quantities of condoms during raids • A Kurdish phrasebook found teaching lines like "You're pretty", "I love your hair" and "You're young and beautiful" for targeting young girls • Kids as young as 12 driven away in cars to unknown locations • Shops used as fronts for criminal gangs involved in illegal trade, with some linked to men previously charged with r*pe Officers call it an "epidemic" of child sexual exploitation hiding in plain sight on our high streets. They are now prioritising raids for child protection and passing intelligence to police. But this has been known since at least 2016. The same patterns continue. Different bait, same horror. When will authorities finally act? Vape shops are now coming under increasing scrutiny across the country. They seem to appear almost overnight, three, four, even five on a single high street, with suspiciously little custom. In light of recent devastating incidents like the fatal fire at a vape shop in Scotland,Rupert Lowe MP has called for urgent action: “These vape shops are clearly operating in the wild west — we need a national crackdown. Ensure that they are all operating legally, fairly, to all required regulations and with proper immigration checks.” “The British people are not stupid. We can see what's going on. Almost overnight, we have thousands and thousands of these little 'shops' spring up. Three, four, five on one high street? Is the demand really there for that? I think not.” Lowe added that Restore Britain Redirect would establish “a national task force for fraud detection, with trading/immigration checks at suspicious premises with little custom” to tackle this Wild West operation.

🚨SHOCKING: VAPE SHOPS EXPOSED AS THE NEW FRONT FOR GROOMING GANGS ABUSING KIDS AS YOUNG AS 11! 😱 😡 Authorities Knew About This Horror Since 2016 But Failed To Protect Our Children Again! 😤 A shocking new investigation has exposed how illegal vape shops and mini-marts popping up everywhere are fronts for organised grooming gangs. These are the new chicken shops where so much abuse has taken place before. Trading Standards raids in Dudley, West Midlands have uncovered the disgusting truth: • Children as young as 11 are being lured with free vapes, cigarettes and sweets in exchange for sexual favours • Staff caught with large quantities of condoms during raids • A Kurdish phrasebook found teaching lines like "You're pretty", "I love your hair" and "You're young and beautiful" for targeting young girls • Kids as young as 12 driven away in cars to unknown locations • Shops used as fronts for criminal gangs involved in illegal trade, with some linked to men previously charged with r*pe Officers call it an "epidemic" of child sexual exploitation hiding in plain sight on our high streets. They are now prioritising raids for child protection and passing intelligence to police. But this has been known since at least 2016. The same patterns continue. Different bait, same horror. When will authorities finally act? Vape shops are now coming under increasing scrutiny across the country. They seem to appear almost overnight, three, four, even five on a single high street, with suspiciously little custom. In light of recent devastating incidents like the fatal fire at a vape shop in Scotland,Rupert Lowe MP has called for urgent action: “These vape shops are clearly operating in the wild west — we need a national crackdown. Ensure that they are all operating legally, fairly, to all required regulations and with proper immigration checks.” “The British people are not stupid. We can see what's going on. Almost overnight, we have thousands and thousands of these little 'shops' spring up. Three, four, five on one high street? Is the demand really there for that? I think not.” Lowe added that Restore Britain Redirect would establish “a national task force for fraud detection, with trading/immigration checks at suspicious premises with little custom” to tackle this Wild West operation.

J Stewart

328,995 views • 5 months ago

A future ⁦Conservatives⁩ government will: CUT your taxes. ABOLISH Stamp Duty. ABOLISH Business Rates for pubs and shops on high streets. And deliver a big, bold offer for YOUNGER PEOPLE. All because of the decisions we have set out to live within our means.

A future ⁦Conservatives⁩ government will: CUT your taxes. ABOLISH Stamp Duty. ABOLISH Business Rates for pubs and shops on high streets. And deliver a big, bold offer for YOUNGER PEOPLE. All because of the decisions we have set out to live within our means.

Mel Stride

177,824 views • 11 months ago

🚨 CONFRONTING ILLEGAL MIGRANT SCAMMERS IN NYC (Full Video): NYC’s Canal St has always been infamous for counterfeit goods... but now, due to mass migration, illegal migrants have taken over entire blocks with their illegal street markets. Along with selling counterfeit goods (which is illegal), vendors are also selling illegal substances. One mother messaged saying, “My 9-year-old son was offered drugs while walking with me.” These illegal migrants make “$700 a day,” all tax-free, while New Yorkers pay city, state, and federal taxes. When NYPD arrests these individuals, they’re released the next day, and when ICE conducts raids, the streets erupt into protest. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wants to protect these criminals… meanwhile, New Yorkers are walking multiple blocks to avoid the Canal St station because of the sheer number of African men selling and engaging in illegal activity. How did we get to a point where politicians and citizens are advocating for crime? Restore law and order in our streets.

🚨 CONFRONTING ILLEGAL MIGRANT SCAMMERS IN NYC (Full Video): NYC’s Canal St has always been infamous for counterfeit goods... but now, due to mass migration, illegal migrants have taken over entire blocks with their illegal street markets. Along with selling counterfeit goods (which is illegal), vendors are also selling illegal substances. One mother messaged saying, “My 9-year-old son was offered drugs while walking with me.” These illegal migrants make “$700 a day,” all tax-free, while New Yorkers pay city, state, and federal taxes. When NYPD arrests these individuals, they’re released the next day, and when ICE conducts raids, the streets erupt into protest. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wants to protect these criminals… meanwhile, New Yorkers are walking multiple blocks to avoid the Canal St station because of the sheer number of African men selling and engaging in illegal activity. How did we get to a point where politicians and citizens are advocating for crime? Restore law and order in our streets.

Nick shirley

425,374 views • 9 months ago

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will make it harder for new vape shops to open in England as he seeks to revive the high street. It's the prime minister's second attack on the vape shop industry, after he said a 20% cut to business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues announced last month would be funded by a review of business rate relief for the sector. Sky's Lucy McDaid reports. 🔗

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will make it harder for new vape shops to open in England as he seeks to revive the high street. It's the prime minister's second attack on the vape shop industry, after he said a 20% cut to business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues announced last month would be funded by a review of business rate relief for the sector. Sky's Lucy McDaid reports. 🔗

Sky News

80,106 views • 1 month ago

Today the Liberals and Nationals announce we will deliver Jack’s Law for Victoria. Police and PSOs will be able to use handheld wands in all public places including transport hubs, shopping centres and knife crime hotspots. This commonsense reform is already working in Queensland and New South Wales, removing thousands of weapons from the streets. If you carry a weapon, under a Liberals and Nationals Government, you will be caught.

Today the Liberals and Nationals announce we will deliver Jack’s Law for Victoria. Police and PSOs will be able to use handheld wands in all public places including transport hubs, shopping centres and knife crime hotspots. This commonsense reform is already working in Queensland and New South Wales, removing thousands of weapons from the streets. If you carry a weapon, under a Liberals and Nationals Government, you will be caught.

Brad Battin MP

65,174 views • 1 year ago

Sally Nugent, "You're here today to talk about our High Streets.. The things you would like to see changed" Angela Rayner, "I think many people are frustrated about what they see as a decline in the High Street" Three thoughts on reviving High Streets Angela Rayner 1⃣ Free parking to incentivise people to visit High Streets 2⃣ Address disparity between High Street business rates vs on-line retailers warehouse rates 3⃣ On High Street sports and activity clubs for kids and adults. Local-authority-run youth centres fell from 860 in 2011 to 379 in 2024, a reduction of 481 centres (56%). You can give young people something meaningful to do as well as pull traffic onto High Streets. It's a win-win. The convenience of on-line means that most of us will still carry on with on-line retail. But that doesn't mean we can't revive city, town and village centres, making them community hubs serving all of society as well. Not an easy thing to address but good luck finding a way to do it 👍

Sally Nugent, "You're here today to talk about our High Streets.. The things you would like to see changed" Angela Rayner, "I think many people are frustrated about what they see as a decline in the High Street" Three thoughts on reviving High Streets Angela Rayner 1⃣ Free parking to incentivise people to visit High Streets 2⃣ Address disparity between High Street business rates vs on-line retailers warehouse rates 3⃣ On High Street sports and activity clubs for kids and adults. Local-authority-run youth centres fell from 860 in 2011 to 379 in 2024, a reduction of 481 centres (56%). You can give young people something meaningful to do as well as pull traffic onto High Streets. It's a win-win. The convenience of on-line means that most of us will still carry on with on-line retail. But that doesn't mean we can't revive city, town and village centres, making them community hubs serving all of society as well. Not an easy thing to address but good luck finding a way to do it 👍

Farrukh

22,967 views • 1 month ago

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, has been granted Royal Assent today, meaning today’s children will never legally be sold cigarettes. For Sue Mountain, she hopes the new law will stop others suffering like her, saying her addiction to smoking - which started at 11 - was 'horrendous'. AJ reports. 🔗

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, has been granted Royal Assent today, meaning today’s children will never legally be sold cigarettes. For Sue Mountain, she hopes the new law will stop others suffering like her, saying her addiction to smoking - which started at 11 - was 'horrendous'. AJ reports. 🔗

Sky News

48,812 views • 4 months ago