WEST MIDLANDS — Undercover researchers secretly filmed the sale of cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas and prescription pills at mini-marts across four West Midlands towns. The investigation documented purchases and offers of illegal drugs in shops in Cradley Heath, Dudley, Lye and Brierley Hill.

At Cradley Market, a man behind the counter supplied 3.5g of cannabis for £30 within seconds of being asked, handing over a small bag from a rucksack at the back of the shop. The researcher was able to buy cannabis there on two separate visits. When asked about cocaine, the man, identified as Akwa, immediately made a call, and a gram was delivered to the shop a few hours later and sold for £95.

"I've got weed, coke, everything. Whatever you want, I can sort you out," Akwa said from behind the counter. He also showed photographs of prescription drugs on his phone for sale, including pregabalin, which is used to treat anxiety, nerve pain and epilepsy, and invited the researcher to take photos. When confronted by the investigators, Akwa denied wrongdoing, said he did not know what was being referred to, and asked them to leave.

Researchers filmed visits to shops in Lye and Brierley Hill where they were offered cannabis, cannabis vapes, and nitrous oxide. Four shops in Lye offered illegal cigarettes and laughing gas. Researchers were twice offered cannabis at IK Convenience in Brierley Hill, where a worker showed illegal cannabis vapes priced at £20 each.

At Best Choice in Brierley Hill, the man behind the counter directed researchers to a flat above the shop, where they bought cannabis twice from a man and a woman. The flat and the shop share the same landlord. Investigators withdrew from confronting the cannabis sellers for safety reasons when two large pitbull-type dogs without collars or leads appeared at the flat.

At Dawood Grocery in Dudley town centre, the shopkeeper asked an undercover researcher how many bottles of nitrous oxide he wanted, handed over a plastic bag containing balloons, and told him to wait outside on a nearby street corner. Nitrous oxide is a class C drug that can cause brain damage when inhaled. Researchers also observed spotters outside mini-marts believed to be watching for law enforcement raids, and workers on Dudley High Street followed and photographed the investigation team.

Kuldeep Maan, Trading Standards lead for the borough of Dudley, said the sale of illegal drugs, counterfeit cigarettes, and illegal vapes in Dudley is at its worst in 20 years. Over 12 months, he shut down 39 shops for selling illegal cigarettes in Dudley, and during raids those shops were also found to have cannabis, cocaine, nitrous oxide, and fake and foreign prescription drugs. Maan said he is investigating increasing numbers of reports of laughing gas being sold to children across the borough. A spokesperson for Sandwell Council said the council was working with police to tackle illegal activity.