Moment police raid Wolverhampton shop and uncover illegal Viagra haul, vapes and tobacco

This is the moment police and Trading Standards raided a Wolverhampton shop, uncovering a raft of 'potentially deadly' illegal drugs. The joint operation uncovered 'dangerous illegal imports', including Viagra and prescription drug Tramadol, an opioid pain medication, inside the Heath Town store.

Inspectors busted the mini-market after reports of sales of illegal vapes, tobacco, cigarettes and shisha. The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Trading Standards team, alongside West Midlands Police, swooped on the Cannock Road address on Monday, November 18.

There, they also found suspected cannabis, tobacco, vapes and cash with the help of a sniffer dog. The raid comes as Wolverhampton Police works alongside the council to "target shops where people had told trading standards that staff were selling to underage customers."

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No arrests have been made at this time and the ongoing investigation into the suspected illegal goods is being led by council staff. The items, including the drugs, will be tested and destroyed.

Sgt Nicola Sephton, from Wolverhampton Police said: “Antisocial behaviour can often be fuelled by drink, drugs and other items that shops sell illegally or irresponsibly. I’m glad that we’ve been able to act on the information local people provided to get these items off the streets.”

The Heath Town store was just one of three shops visited as part of the operation to stop antisocial behaviour, West Midlands Police said. Police also raided shops on Wednesfield Road and Dudley Road, Graiseley, with the above video showing an officer kicking down the door to a room. They seized 9,000 illegal vapes from behind a locked toilet door and inside the shop owner’s car, the force said.

Cllr Russell, chair of the council’s Statutory Licensing Committee and Regulatory Committee, said: “Days like this show us why it is so important to keep speaking to our community and respond to their reports.

“We don’t know what these shops are selling to our children, and the imported prescription drugs could be extremely harmful or even fatal.”