Trading Standards have found that 97% of its officers are aware of suspected organised crime groups operating in their local shopping areas – with Glasgow named as a hotspot.
Vape shops and candy stores are being used as a major front for organised crime on Scots high streets, experts have warned.
Trading Standards have found that 97% of its officers are aware of suspected organised crime groups operating in their local shopping areas.
As many as half of convenience stores and vape retailers in some areas are estimated to have links with organised crime, according to a Trading Standards report – with Glasgow named as Scotland’s hotspot.
The organisation’s Hidden In Plain Sight report, produced alongside the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG), laid bare concerns just weeks after John Swinney signalled a crackdown on vape shops following the devastation of Glasgow’s Union Street fire.
Edinburgh was the second biggest hotspot in Scotland for so-called dodgy shops, followed by Alloa.
Vape and candy shops are being linked to criminal activity on many high streets(Image: Joe Sullivan)
John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said: “It is clear from this research that serious and organised crime is endemic across the UK, and the threat posed by illegitimate high street businesses is having a significant impact on the work of Trading Standards, and our ability to protect consumers and maintain the level playing field for legitimate business.
“Local Authority Trading Standards services have faced damaging funding cuts of up to 50% over the past decade, with key enforcement partners experiencing similar resourcing challenges.
“We recognise that the Government is focussed on this issue, but it must urgently bring together and properly invest in enforcement agencies – including Local Authority Trading Standards – to give us the powers and resources needed to tackle what is a widespread and growing national problem.”
The report said up to a third of American candy stores and one in four fast food takeaways in specific areas are suspected of being a front for criminal activity.
Edinburgh was the second Scots hotspot for dodgy shops
It found there was also “almost universal recognition” – involving 99% of officers – that Trading Standards had seen an increase in the number of cash-intensive businesses opening on high streets since 2020.
Almost three quarters of officers, 72%, reported experiencing intimidatory behaviour or had been threatened with violence while working.
Trading Standards warned that funding cuts coupled with resource “challenges” for other key enforcement agencies like police – had coincided with the rapid spread of dodgy shops and complex criminal networks underpinning them.
The report outlined a 10-point plan to “reclaim the UK’s high streets”, including investing in Trading Standards, making the sale of illegal goods a trigger for licence review, and an additional £20 million to bolster Trading Standards resources for ports and borders.
John McGuire, Manufacturing and Compliance Director at Vaping specialist VPZ said dodgy operators undermine legitimate businesses, evade tax and put consumers at risk.
Calls have been made for a crackdown on vape operators(Image: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
He said: “This is exactly why it is vital that a comprehensive retail licensing system is introduced for the vaping sector – something VPZ has consistently called for over a number of years.
“A properly enforced licensing regime would help authorities clearly distinguish between responsible retailers and rogue operators, while giving enforcement bodies the tools they need to shut down illegal activity quickly and effectively.
“Crucially, vaping products should only be sold through properly licensed, specialist retailers or approved outlets. They should not be available in environments such as takeaways or American candy stores, where there is a higher risk of non-compliance and access by underage consumers.”
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The Union Street fire devastated a listed building and temporarily closed Glasgow Central Station while wiping out a string of businesses.
The shop did not appear on the publicly accessible Scottish government’s statutory national Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers and the tenants were being pursued by a debt recovery service for unpaid business rates.
The First Minister said he was ‘sympathetic’ to calls for new licensing and safety regulations following the blaze.
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