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Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Oxford Street sweet shop caught selling drug-infused confectionery
A sweet shop on Britain's busiest shopping strip has been caught selling drug-infused treats. The Londenro store, located on Oxford Street, was found to be selling desserts laced with illicit substances, including cookies containing psychedelic mushrooms. The discovery was made after Westminster Council launched a probe following a report that a shopper had been hit with an £899 bill for trying to buy two packs of sweets. The investigation revealed that the shop was stocking products like 'Magic Dragon' cookies — which, far from being innocent snacks, were found to include magic mushrooms. Boxes marked 'Game Over' were also seized. On April 25, officers carried out a raid at the shop. As they entered, two workers bolted to the basement and made their escape through a concealed exit hidden behind a wall panel. But when the panel was moved, authorities found a secret room holding counterfeit items worth an estimated £80,000. The shop's director, Ahmad Yar Jan, later told the court he had no issue with the confiscated products being destroyed. Meanwhile, a neighbouring store styled as a 'Harry Potter'-themed shop was also caught up in the operation. Authorities say it had been selling cannabis-derived items including Hashish and White Widow CBD, without the proper licensing. The store is operated by 5IVESTAR Limited, and an individual connected to it appeared in court with Yar Jan. Many of the seized products didn't include English-language labelling, raising serious safety concerns over unknown ingredients and potential allergens. Council leader Adam Hug didn't mince his words, saying: "It is rather ironic that a shop calling itself a Harry Potter store appears to have been selling products that claim they would get the user higher than a Quidditch player. "The food products here were part of a raid at two addresses on Oxford Street which have taken thousands of items worth £80,000 off the streets." He added: "One of these 'magic cookies' products was labelled game over – however the only game over will be for unscrupulous traders who sell illegal goods to the public. We have known for a long time that US candy stores rip off customers, but charging £900 for two packets of sweets is a new low, even for the unscrupulous people who run these rackets. "Our job is to protect people who visit the West End from being exploited and continuing raids and court appearances will ensure life is sour for the rogue US sweet shop trade."
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Urgent warning to parents over THOUSANDS of illegal drug-laced sweets including ‘magic mushroom cookies' flooding UK
The shop also contained a secret escape route in the basement CANDY DANGER Urgent warning to parents over THOUSANDS of illegal drug-laced sweets including 'magic mushroom cookies' flooding UK A SHOP on the busiest in the UK has been selling drug-laced sweets - including magic mushroom cookies. Police launched a raid on the shop was launched after a shopper was charged £899 for trying to purchase two packs of sweets. 4 A raid on a West End shop uncovered secret supplies of drugs disguised as sweets Credit: Central News 4 The store had labelled the mushrooms with vague names including Game Over and Magic Dragon Credit: Central News 4 CBD cookies were also seized from the Harry Potter shop next door Credit: Central News The Londonero shop on Oxford Street was selling a variety of drugs disguised as everyday desserts. Investigators from Westminster Council found the American-style candy shop had been selling Magic Dragon cookies - which actually contained magic mushrooms. There were three other boxes of cookies labelled Game Over. When the raid took place on April 25, two shop assistants fled downstairs and escaped using a secret exit. The secret passage was hidden behind a panel in the basement wall which took them back up to street level. However, by moving the panel, they revealed a room which contained £80,000 worth of fake goods. The director of the store, Ahmad Yar Jan, told a court that he was happy for the goods to be destroyed by the council. The Harry Potter shop next door was also found to be selling unlicensed Hashish and White Widow CBD products. An unnamed individual linked to the wizard-themed shop, ran by 5IVESTAR Limited, appeared in court alongside Yar Jan. Many of the products which were seized had no English translation on the box, which sparked allergy fears since their contents was unknown. Sneak peek inside new Oxford Street Ikea After the arrests, Labour leader of Westminster City Council, Adam Hug, said: ''It is rather ironic that a shop calling itself a Harry Potter store appears to have been selling products that claim they would get the user higher than a quidditch player. 'The food products here were part of a raid at two addresses on Oxford Street which have taken thousands of items worth £80,000 off the streets. 'One of these 'magic cookies' products was labelled game over – however the only game over will be for unscrupulous traders who sell illegal goods to the public." The news comes as Westminster Council has announced that reducing the huge number of sweets shops on Oxford Street is a priority. Adam Hug added: 'We have known for a long time that US candy stores rip off customers, but charging £900 for two packets of sweets is a new low, even for the unscrupulous people who run these rackets. 'Our job is to protect people who visit the West End from being exploited and continuing raids and court appearances will ensure life is sour for the rogue US sweet shop trade. 'Hopefully, the fall in the number of US candy and souvenir shops means the tide is going out on this tatty trade.'
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Urgent warning to parents over THOUSANDS of illegal drug-laced sweets including ‘magic mushroom cookies' flooding UK
A SHOP on the busiest in the UK has been selling drug-laced sweets - including magic mushroom cookies. 4 A raid on a West End shop uncovered secret supplies of drugs disguised as sweets Credit: Central News 4 The store had labelled the mushrooms with vague names including Game Over and Magic Dragon Credit: Central News 4 CBD cookies were also seized from the Harry Potter shop next door Credit: Central News The Londonero shop on Oxford Street was selling a variety of drugs disguised as everyday desserts. Investigators from Westminster Council found the American-style candy shop had been selling Magic Dragon cookies - which actually contained There were three other boxes of cookies labelled Game Over. When the raid took place on April 25, two shop assistants fled downstairs and escaped using a secret exit. Read More on Oxford Street The secret passage was hidden behind a panel in the basement wall which took them back up to street level. However, by moving the panel, they revealed a room which contained £80,000 worth of fake goods. The director of the store, Ahmad Yar Jan, told a court that he was happy for the goods to be destroyed by the council. The Most read in The Sun An unnamed individual linked to the wizard-themed shop, ran by 5IVESTAR Limited, appeared in court alongside Yar Jan. Many of the products which were seized had no English translation on the box, which sparked allergy fears since their contents was unknown. Sneak peek inside new Oxford Street Ikea After the arrests, Labour leader of Westminster City Council, Adam Hug, said: ''It is rather ironic that a shop calling itself a Harry Potter store appears to have been selling products that claim they would get the user higher than a quidditch player. 'The food products here were part of a raid at two addresses on Oxford Street which have taken thousands of items worth £80,000 off the streets. 'One of these 'magic cookies' products was labelled game over – however the only game over will be for unscrupulous traders who sell illegal goods to the public." The news comes as Adam Hug added: 'We have known for a long time that US candy stores rip off customers, but charging £900 for two packets of sweets is a new low, even for the unscrupulous people who run these rackets. 'Our job is to protect people who visit the 'Hopefully, the fall in the number of US candy and souvenir shops means the tide is going out on this tatty trade.' 4 Authorities have decided to destroy the products Credit: Central News
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Oxford Street sweet shop caught selling magic mushrooms as police raid London store
Police raided an American candy shop on London's West End after one customer reported being charged nearly £900 for two packets of sweets - and found Magic Mushroom cookies for sale A West End sweet shop has been shut down after it was found to be selling magic mushrooms in a police raid. The 'Londenero' shop on Oxford Street - formerly known as Gummylicious - was caught selling a range of items under the banner 'Hyper Products'. These included four Magic Mushroom cookies labelled 'Magic Dragon', and three other cookies bearing the name 'Game Over'. The Met Police operation - which forms part of a wider crackdown on 'American candy' outlets in the busy shopping district - came after one customer reported being charged nearly £900 for two packets of sweets. The neighbouring ' Harry Potter shop' on Oxford Street, ran by the company '5IVESTAR Limited', was meanwhile to be found selling food products without English translations on the label. Unauthorised 'Hashish' and 'White Widow' CBD cookies were seized from the 'Harry Potter', shop previously known as Royal Britania, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard. The director of Londonero, Ahmad Yar Jan, appeared in court alongside another person linked to the adjacent wizard-themed shop ran by 5IVESTAR Limited. Solicitor Kirsty Panton, for Westminster City Council, said the case concerned unauthorised novelty foods and products bearing non-English food labels. She said a food condemnation order for the distribution of unlicensed novelty goods related only to Londenero. Matthew Nelson, Senior Environmental Health Officer at Westminster City Council, said he "found numerous products" in both shops that were "on sale with no English translation". He added that this "poses a health risk to any customer with potential allergies, or any customer wishing to read the nutritional declarations for certain health issues, such as diabetes." Mr Nelson said that in the Harry Potter shop he identified a "cell" of CBD products not on the approved novelty registry for the Food Safety Act, while "magic mushroom cookies" were found in the the Londenero store. He added: "There is no transparency, we don't know where these products came from - there is no country or origin, no registered address for the manufacturer - which is legally required." Mr Nelson said the company name on suspect products was 'Hyper Products', and told the court: "The company, when google searched, comes up completely blank - there is no information at all." The council official said he gave the companies three weeks to provide English-translated labels for the items, but received no response. More than 3,000 products were seized from both shops - including seven magic mushroom cookies and "around 10" unlicensed CBD products. Packs of iilicit cigarettes - including from the knock-off ' Manchester ' brand - were also seized. Londonero owner Mr Jan told the court he was not in the shop in the past few months because of a 'family matter'. The businessman said he 'didn't know' how the magic mushroom cookies came to be in the store. District Judge Patricia Evans asked if he was happy for the council to destroy the items seized from his store. Mr Jan replied: "Yeah, no problem." He was ordered to pay £2,760 to cover the council's costs, while 5IVESTAR LTD must pay £2664 in costs.
CBC
10-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Local hot sauce maker says kitchen 'became my domain' after vision loss: Jasmine Mangalaseril
Social Sharing For many, apple pie is a dessert often enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla or perhaps a bit of cheddar cheese. For Blowing Smoke founder Jacob Wilkinson, that wedge of sweet, warmly-spiced, cooked apple slices in a flaky crust is the springboard for one of his signature hot sauces. "I just thought the flavours in that pie would go so well in a hot sauce, especially with something like a jalapeño in there," said Wilkinson. "Just add a little subtle kick to that sweetness and round everything out." He worked backwards from his pie recipe to figure out the ratio of apples to chillies (jalapeño and Snow White habanero) and adjusted other spices, to create his Northern Lights hot sauce. The green, slightly tingly, tart, and fruity sauce, is the mildest of his signature line. Wilkinson relies on his sense of taste, smell, sound and touch to create his sauces. He was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis as a toddler and developed glaucoma. By the time he was 16, he lost most of his sight. Today, he sees light and shadow. "The outside world kind of got smaller and smaller, so the inside world definitely became bigger and bigger. The kitchen more or less became my domain," he said. Within that domain, Wilkinson developed two more signature sauces: Orange Sunshine (medium) and Magic Dragon (hot). His seasonal blends spotlight Ontario's harvests: In cummer, Niagara peaches and plums go into Marmalade Skies hot sauce. Roasted pumpkin and apples are in the autumnal Devil's Night. Winter squash and poached pears are in Yellow Snow. And his spring edition is Molten Maple Hot Maple Syrup. "It's a local maple syrup that we infuse with five different hot peppers," explained Wilkinson. "It kind of starts off with that nice, sweet maple flavour and then you get a nice kick of heat afterwards." A sense for cooking Wilkinson's passion for cooking started as a child. As his sight deteriorated, he started listening to cooking podcasts and videos to progress his skills. He taught himself how to bake and, more recently, classical French techniques and dishes. He uses adaptive devices like talking scales and thermometers. Others work with him in the commercial kitchen to make sauces. Friends and family guide him on visual aspects. He differentiates the dozen or so chillies he uses by scent, and specific sounds signal how far along the vegetables are. "It's like, I know the timer should be going off any second because those tomatoes are cracking and popping. They really sound like they're close to being done," said Wilkinson "And it always does, when he says that. Within a minute," added his mother, Lana Doucette. Building a business With entrepreneurs in the family (his father is a retired financial planner, and his stepfather owns The Colossal Onion concession at the St Jacobs Market) Wilkinson said starting a business was always a possibility. Wanda Deschamps, who was diagnosed with autism, is the founder of Liberty Co, a consultancy focused on increasing neurodiverse employment. She said because inclusive workplaces can be inaccessible, many people with disabilities are pushed into entrepreneurship. "We haven't been able to enter the workplace because we haven't even been able to get a job interview or stay in a job." she said. And while a 2024 StatsCan report showed that more than a quarter of Canadians older than 15 have at least one disability, the start-up programs Wilkinson saw excluded those with disabilities. "It seems that a lot of, if not all of the government-funded programs, pretty much any funding that you would get, you are excluded from, if you already receive disability [ODSP]," said Wilkinson. He said the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre was pivotal in getting Blowing Smoke off to a good start through their food business primer. And he's building a professional network that includes Jeff Davis of Island Son and Kris Ronan of Ginger Goat. "We've been beside him every step of the way, during obviously what has been somewhat of an uphill battle for him. He's overcome lots of adversity to get where he is today," said Doucette. "We are extremely proud of the business that he has built."
