I'm surprised something was actually done about the obvious money laundering fronts.

There are SO many in Edinburgh. It's actually really embarrassing to walk down the Royal Mile now. It used to be this place filled with culture and be a wonderful street for tourists. When I was there yesterday there were FOUR candy shops on the same small street block. All devoid of customers and taking up prime real estate. What the hell is going on? Please continue your investigation around the country.

money laundering. The answer is money laundering. Just like all those souvenier shops doing the same thing. Same gimmick, same crowd, same absurdly unviable business models.

In the 90’s I lived and worked in Key West, Florida for 6 months. I worked at a shop selling clothes that we would print decals on for tourists coming off the cruise ships. In Duvall St alone, there were around 5 or 6 of these all owned by a group of foreign nationals. The owners married local women for the visa after paying them a lot of money, and the female staff married men from the gay community in the same way. There were lawyers who would rush through the paperwork for a lot of money too. People were getting married all over the place and the local gay club, which had a suspicious fire whilst I was there, was frequented by the lawyers looking for people to marry their clients. I am not making this up. In the shop itself, nothing was priced and we had to learn a code to communicate how much things were. It was arbitrary how much we said because it depended entirely on how much we thought the person would pay. Sometimes $80 for a $1 t shirt and a 50c decal we printed on while they waited. We put on a show, constantly upselling, entertaining and extracting more money. I once charged Japanese tourists, the best to target I was told, $600 for some hoodies and T-shirts for a family. On request of my manager. The entire operation, we learned, was a front for the lawyers to provide work visa’s for cash and charge a fortune doing so. A form of people smuggling, but within the legal system. The owners themselves used the businesses to launder money too and were most likely involved in other criminal activities. Like drugs. The format and business model of these candy shops seems very similar, especially in a tourist hot spot and I’m amazed you can get away with this in Oxford St, let alone a small island off the Florida coast.

Money laundering is the obvious issue here, and it’s strange it’s not discussed. Certainly the prices and fake quality gives close to zero sales, but the cash machines can still produce numbers of papers balancing the the same amount of money feed back to the “sellers” of nothing. Certainly, it’s just extra income not to pay taxes.

...and Westminster Council had no clue why all of a sudden a stackload of Candy Stores appeared within one year??? How poor is the business licensing department at Westminster Council???

It is clear these shops are not a genuine commercial business, as others have said in the comments they are a front operation for illegal transactions, likely not only involving money laundering, but probably also drug distribution hubs, import/ distribute fake goods etc. It is frustrating that as an individual if you try for example to open a new bank account or other official business you are subject to money laundering checks which sometimes border on the absurd in respect of the transactions which pass through your account, but these “ businesses “ seem immune. There needs to be a serious think about what the police should be targeting in terms of crime.

The other one of these is Turkish Barber shops. Our town now has 8 in one high street. You can never pay with card, only cash. Yet again authorities turn a blind eye as heaven forbid they accused of racism, so drug money from London is cleaned in our suburban town

Well we are not checking goods coming in to Britain via our ports due to Brexit, the goods would have been stopped by other EU ports but now we are not in the EU, what the hell did they think was going to happen...

How a shell company is allowed to rent a place in Oxford street ? An individual renting an apartment in London is liable and thoroughly checked out, that is ludicrous.

I like how that Adam guy is really proud of ceasing them goods and totally skipping over the real issue. No one is buying the goods they are just for show, stuff to fill up the shelves.

Being an old geezer living in a small English village, I thought this was a sophisticated spoof report in the style of 'Brass Eye', or the 'Day Today'! Having tried some American candy, and having had my tastebuds recoil at it's synthetic over-sweetness, i wouldn't consume it if it was free!

I went back to London last year after a couple of years away and was wondering why there where so many of these stores. I was thinking it might be some kind of money laundering business or something going on. There were dozens of them everywhere. Very strange.

Hence the need for customs checks and why the EU is insisting on real time data sharing on the the Irish sea border route into northern Ireland....

It’s so very clearly money laundering. £45 for a packet of sweets. Was Ruth Langmore behind the counter?

My guess is money laundering is behind all this , the reason has to be financial , it always is .

The only chocolatier with less regard for worker safety, ethical business practices, or human life than the actual Willy Wonka. Or the entire Nestle corporation.

The 2020s are weird

Well done Westminster council? You have allowed the total collapse of honest retail and London’s main shopping street is a urine soaked money laundering operation. I remember when oxfords street and the surrounding area was packed with interesting independent shops, and all the big department stores etc.

How this was done under the police nose - should be incredible. Sadly -its not.

Not just Oxford street….Leicester Square, up to Piccadilly and beyond its like a fungus, no real shops left

So they're counterfit goods and they're closing up before their taxes are due, but there must be more to this! Very few people buy these products, maybe a few tourists unaware of the exchange rate, certainly nor enough to justify so many shops. It HAS to be money laundering and yet the report makes no mention of it?

Well if your are not checking imports, then you can import anything

The 50 barbershops and kebab shops on my street been real quiet 😳

Thanks for the video. Following your last video on the subject, I noticed an American Candy Shop in prime location in Plymouth's City Centre. Few labels, overinflated pricing, and possibly most damning of all, the front display had a whole shelf of tourist trinkets (phone boxes, model black cabs etc.,) all with 'London' on them..in Plymouth!

You basically look at Companies House and its very easy to determine that the majority of them are registerred under the name of one director. They should be investigating HIS tax affairs if there is something very dubious going on with these stores

The biggest weakness to money laundering is Companies House. You could set up a company with directors called M Mouse and Saddam Hussain and pay for a mail redirect and you have a company. There should be robust identity and proof of residence checks for all company officers

On my last visit to London, about a year ago I was so surprised at the amount of these candy shops. I remember thinking what a weird business model

How are these dodgy money laundering operations allowed to exist and so blatantly?

Private Eye magazine has long pointed out the oddity of these stores, that they avoid business rates. I expect that they avoid paying HMRC too, but HMRC seems to ignore businesses like these because they don't have the staff to investigate and follow up. It's good that Westminster Council have done something about it.

Seriously, There isn't any legitimate way or possibility for these Candy stores to be able to,pay the Rates for those Locations if it wasn't some sort of Scam or Money laundering scheme.

Byline TV got there first ! Well done !.

What about the local Corner shop they sell multipacks off walkers individually 😂

I used to work in a chain shoe store in Camden and I remember hearing how many of the competition along there was connected at the backs of the shops and was secretly something shady going on there. It was very possible as we never saw anyone actually buy anything in those shops yet they could afford rent. We knew the cost of operating in that location and the math just didn't add up. Also along Oxford Street I've personally seen alot of funny stuff. Down at the Soho square/Tottenham Court road end, I've seen that classic perfume scam, where they use plants to buy in early and give the trade credibility. I've seen alot of shops that in no way we're making rent. London is an easy place to scam and it's got even worse over the last decades with the cuts to the courts and policing. It's really not good enough and London deserves better.

These places are so sketchalicious, good American imports are hard to find in the UK. What sucks is that this will probably kill any hopes of a good US import store surviving for years to come. UK import shops in the US tend to be harder to come across, but also tend to be very honest and exist for a select customer base of homesick Brits and curious locals. I wish I could have found that here in the UK.

The only reason these got shut down was because the public spotted it what about the stuff we can't see 🤔 who's actually investigating these matters 🤔

At about 2:20 he’s going on about how one closes and another opens. How is that getting past the city, I’m sure to open a store you need a permit / license. They are acting like they didn’t know what was opening there.

The council would have to approve them to move in from the start, so who's to blame. The systems in place to prevent them setting up in the first place clearly don't work. Buying a house in the UK is almost impossible with the amount of justification and processes to prevent illegal activities, but when it comes to businesses, clearly anyone can open and close. The council have allowed it to happen, and now they are wasting further tax payers money to fix what they could have prevented. I wonder how many people will eventually be charged for crimes (Including endangering public health!). Yet another failure in a government that seem to get away with anything.

I just found an old Forbes article which reports that in addition to candy and vapes, these stores are offering FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE. That is where money laundering is profitable. Untraceable, high value cash transactions.

Makes sense why some of them closed in Melbourne recently

Is that it? You talk as if BT broke the story. Private Eye has covered it (along with Afghan tat tourist merchandise stores in the same area). The Eye revealed that many of the American sweet shops are owned by young Indian/Anglo Indian businessmen. They don't pay tax on the goods/business income either. In the case of the Afghan tourist merchandise stores, nothing much has been done. 'Too much paperwork'.

I remember walking into multiple stores in one day and seeing some have no workers and some just being very empty

Counterfeit American chocolate is probably of higher quality than the real thing

Satirical magazine 'Private Eye' has been reporting on these candy-shops, and other sellers of tourist-souvenirs, for more than a year now. Finally the local-government reacts ! But what about the Inland-Revenue, to collect VAT & other taxes, which might also be due ?

at least we have taken back control of our borders...

The product safety is irrelevant, the business rate are irrelevant, the issue is that they're laundering money for drug dealers

None of those running the shops were called John, David, Peter, Richard or anything like that!

This is what happens when you refuse to enact any controls on imports coming into the UK!!! Smuggling will be rife, another Brexit benefit

Thanks for the update. I was intrigued about your 1st report on American Candy.

Where I live in the North of England we have numerous fancy looking Vape shops. Nobody ever goes in them and the guy working there just plays on his phone, but most of them are sizeable units. Five years ago we had milk bars. The same thing. Nobody ever went in apart from friends of the owner. or guy working in there. Who in their right mind wants a cup of hot milk. I am convinced that all of it is money laundering.

Try walking down the main Street in Canterbury, Kent, UK. Vape /candy shops. American candy shop with a bright pink facia opposite the historic medieval entrance to Canterbury cathedral. Out of keeping. Outrageous. What is Canterbury City Council doing about this?

Follow the money, it’ll lead you to a Tory.

organised crime in daylight.

Just a thought...these shops could have a negative impact on property prices, so people behind these scheme could buy up properties well below their value.

Is this related in any way to the lack of import checks post brexit? the Tory Government have yet to implement the full range of checks for goods coming into the UK missing out on billions in taxes revenue but also potentially allowing in these kinds of counterfeit items.

Money laundering...

Duh!! It's drug money mainly from a certain country known for Heroin production.

It's really quite simple. Rates are being applied to empty stores so the landlords have got to find someone to take on a lease. Councils want the rates, the government want to encourage landlords to rent out to save on a rates bill, so they either take on a charity shop or an American candy store. And the market for charity shops is saturated. It all comes down to councils charging property owners for empty units, and the pressure they're put under to rent out to anybody who'll save them from having to pay those rents. In Scotland too they charge for empty factories. Demolition has become a growth industry as many empty factories are getting pulled down to save owners from having to pay rates. Problem there is that there's a lack of factory and office space for someone wanting to start up a business.

Took byline to highlight this before the MP and police did there job… more Byline

Money laundering, covid loans, drugs hubs for dealers are some obvious things that stick out. I’m sure they’re being staked out by the appropriate authorities and I’m sure HMRC are already looking into them.

This is weird all round. For a start, ignoring the criminal aspect, how can so many of these tacky shops be allowed to open in the first place. The piece does mention Oxford Streets place in the retail world and while not now in its prime, surely it must be thought of with the same sense of preservation as a listed building (in a rough way!). There is obviously pressure to fill a vacant shop for financial reasons, but does no one check that a proposed business will keep to the standards expected for a location with such a prestigious address? Apparently not, as there all the sweet shops were. Not classy, and as we saw, potentially harmful to health. Someone in the department responsible needs a meeting and a training course.

So I was in Miami last year and saw a lot of shops selling sweatshirts/ beach gears . All these shops and their products looked exactly the same. Are they similar to these candy shops?? Like there were way too many of them . It just made me think they were for laundering.

I live near Manchester, UK. We have an American sweet shop. I have always wondered how they make money as they are empty. There is no way they could make a profit from selling sweets. I have bought sweets from the shop (£4.99 for a bag ) and felt they are not the same as I ate in the US. There is no demand for American sweets, we have a massive range anyway. I have always wondered how this sweet shop has made any money.

There's a few of these popping up around Manchester and Greater Manchester, pretty much anywhere there's an empty unit - a couple in the Trafford center as well.

theres one in Bradford like this. massively inflated prices and none of the goods are legit. if you look long enough you even find spelling mistakes on the packaging

Well that was pretty inconclusive. Why put such a non-story online and ask viewers to become members and support Byline TV? One thing's for sure, this story is far from over.

But Sovrintee!! Taking back control of borders!

As the world entire has been printing lots of money in the past three years, the UK appears to be the best money laundering centre for foreign currencies and the associated illegal immigration.

They are obviously fronts. Who for is the real question. Would be kind of ironic if the American sweet shops were being used to launder cash for the Russians (I'm not villifying Russian people but the city has been known as 'Londongrad' for a reason).

We have those American candy stores in czech republic. They have brands and types of chocolates that I have never before seen, so I instantly became suspicious of them, even the prices were too high for something as simple as Reese Peanut butter cups. So they are probably pulling the same scam here in czech republic

Great documentary, I wonder if the same goes for all these pop-up mobile phone tech shops as well

Let’s not let the real problem get away from us. This isn’t about counterfeit candy and prime real estate being taken. Audit the books and follow the money. Conspiracy to launder money. Tax avoidance etc etc

The real question is, why did it take a popular youtube video, for this raid to finally happen???

I wonder how much of a finger Jacob Rancid-Smugg has in this particular pie....?!

Counterfeit vape is especially concerning considered the health risks of black market pods

This is peanuts, The City itself is the biggest money laundry machine in the World.

There's 3 or 4 that have recently popped up in central Glasgow that could be looked into

london is a rip off

If they are money laundering why are they using physical shops ? You only need an online presence to money launder. I've heard it's got something to do with VAT fraud.

Those are actually all over Europe and they're all extremely expensive. The ones I visited out of curiosity are shady as fk.

It use to be tyre shops or car wash 🤭🤷‍♂️😹👀

Did they make money? Or was it a front; guessing the latter, and if so what was it a front for?

So the criminals took a page out of politician's and banker's book and thought that if they commit a crime on broad daylight they can get away with it.

need to be investigating all the take-aways too and taxi companies,nail bars,etc,etc.........all paying zero taxes with fake named owners.

he looks like he raided them so he could get them for himself

Great work.

I was two days late with my council tax and Westminster sent me a nasty letter

Any tips for identifying these counterfeit bars? I only ask because we have an American sweet store that looks similar to the one raided opening up in my city.

They only operate in this manner and avoid business rates with the assistance of commercial property owners and their agents. They are just as involved with these frauds as those running these stores.

There has got to be bribery involved on some level

We have dodgy European market shops springing up near us,why would you need 5 almost next door to each other?

I remember seeing a few of these in Kingston upon Thames..one would be up then go and then 2 more a few doors down from each other but nobody was in them I did think something is not adding up here

The fish starts to smell from the head...so candies n candies seller?last of the problem...landlords???lettings those shops???....the city of London??? The biggest OPM washing machine...police officers just busy giving londoners parking tickets

Every petrol station and off license also has suddenly over the last few years gained a "American candy and drinks" section, i assumed it is to do with better trade with the US since Brexit but I am beginning to think a lot of this stuff isn't even from America and is just copied packaging

What happened to the import inspection system Brexit enabled? Is this another example of controlling borders Brexit was going to deliver? When will Brexit Britain take control of it’s borders?

Italy is the same, huge amount of candy store in the most crowded historical city centres, Florence, Rome, Milan, Turin, Catania and they are always empty. How the heck can they afford such high price rent!!!???

It would be really interesting to know exactly what kind of scheme these candy shops are running. The fake/counterfeit candy can't be the main scam. The items are priced so high I don't think these stores actually want people to purchase anything. If they don't sell anything then what's the benefit of avoiding paying business rates (by disappearing quickly)? The fact that these candy stores pop in premium high street locations around the country makes me think that the schemes they are running has something to do with the value of the location and higher rent. Maybe the scheme is done in collusion with the landlord and/or subletter? Does it have something to do with milking some government scheme/benefit intended to help businesses during the pandemic? If money laundering why not be more discrete about it and why not set up different types of stores? Is there something special about setting up a candy store or are the criminals just so unoriginal? Also if they are money laundering can't the authorities monitor the stores foot traffic and compare it to what they are reporting for earnings etc? Also as many of the stores seem to be run by Afghan immigrants are they laundering dirty money from Afghanistan? If so how deep does it go? Are they laundering for individuals or a corrupt Afghan government/ the Taliban? It's such a mystery. My guess is that these store are running a combination of scams/illegal activities. But it would be really interesting to know exactly what they are.

The 'haul' yielded less than the cost of the sting, BUT the shops have been halted. *so the sting failed?* All it proves is that the inventory maintained was low. This was meant to be a money laundering thing anyway wasn't it?

Surely if the business is not paying rates, the local authority can just shut them down..?

It would be interesting to investigate Barber shops as well. Loads of them here in Leamington, and as for coffee shops...all seems to smack of money laundering