The online drug trade behind QR code stickers plastered on streets across the UK
Steve first spotted the eye-catching stickers while walking to the shops in Burton upon Trent. Plastered on bins and lamp posts, they featured a shiny, green cannabis leaf with a QR code and the words “get your delivery”.
The former prison officer, who is in his 50s, wanted to try the Class B drug as an alternative to prescribed opiates to ease his pain after breaking his back in three places.
He had only recently moved to the Staffordshire market town and was reluctant to buy off the street. “I didn’t want to just tap up some roadman,” he says.
Using his smartphone camera, he was taken to a slick, colourful site on the open web offering a wide range of cannabis products – from vapes and tinctures to pre-rolled joints, buds and gummies.
Just like legitimate online shops, it promised free delivery to arrive the next day and had glowing reviews on Google and Trustpilot.
Steve (not his real name) went on to order products including vapes and herbal cannabis.
“The first time I was shaking… when the postman came down the path – the package absolutely stank,” he says.
“It’s letterbox shaped so you don’t get a knock. The postman shoves it through your door and that’s it – job done.”
(Watch a video demonstration of how the QR codes work)
Similar stickers have been reported across the UK, from cities such as Birmingham, Glasgow and London, to smaller towns including Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, and Droitwich, in Worcestershire. There have also been sightings in South Wales.
Some have appeared near schools, universities and police stations.
Hidden gang network
A Sky News investigation has identified three different sticker designs, each of which directs users to separate, but linked, websites (which we are not naming), with their own branding.
Hidden in their source code is a long list of bank accounts and business names which are randomly selected when users make a purchase.
One of the stickers on a litter bin
Using publicly available tools, we were able to build a network map of the businesses involved, the people behind them and how they are linked.
All are Lithuanian nationals, mostly registered to addresses in a small area of east London, one of which is linked to an alleged gangster found guilty of kidnap and torture in Lithuania.
Royal Mail tracking details also suggest the operation is based in this area as the packages passed through Romford’s mail centre.
An analysis of Bitcoin wallets – carried out by TRM Labs – shows one of the sites had received around $109,000 (£82,000) by mid-March, although the true income is likely to be far higher as more buyers use regular bank transfers than cryptocurrency.
When we visited a woman who owns two of the houses associated with the bank accounts, she said she had never heard of the website and had no idea a criminal enterprise may be being run from her properties.
She also said three Lithuanian nationals we identified as being connected with the site had left the UK.
Former NCA head of drugs Tony Saggers says it shows the ‘evolution of online drug markets’
Former head of drugs threat and intelligence for the National Crime Agency (NCA), Tony Saggers, says the scale of the operation suggests those behind it have access to wholesale quantities of cannabis, which has probably been grown in the UK.
It also demonstrates the “evolution of online drug markets” from the dark web to open websites, “making them more accessible to the wider population”, he tells Sky News.
Ben (not his real name), a student in his early 20s, scanned a QR code sticker out of “genuine curiosity” after spotting it on a telecoms cabinet near the University of York.
He’d never bought or used drugs before but says he “had a moment of free will and the risk of losing money was minimal so I tried it”.
“Perhaps it’s something to do with the website, it’s like you are buying a professional regulated product so that made me worry less.”
A £10 pre-rolled joint arrived by Royal Mail first class post in “branded packaging and looked clean and professional”.
However, he says he didn’t enjoy smoking it and for his “mental health” hasn’t bought any more.
A £10 pre-rolled joint arrived by first-class post
‘Russian roulette’
Dr Simon Erridge, research director at Curaleaf Clinic, where specialist doctors can legally prescribe medical cannabis, says people like Steve and Ben are playing “Russian roulette”.
The clinic has run a campaign using its own QR code stickers, which direct people to results from its study with Manchester Metropolitan University.
It found 90% of 60 illegal cannabis samples seized by the Greater Manchester and Northumbria police forces were contaminated with mould, yeast, lead, E.coli or salmonella.
An analysis of WEDINOS data, a service that tests drugs sent in by users, found 43% of the 1,635 samples bought as cannabis contained no compounds naturally derived from the plant.
Some 38% contained harmful substances, with 27% containing synthetic chemicals such as spice, a drug which is popular in prisons and that can cause dangerous side effects including cardiac arrest.
The clinic’s research also shows consumer habits are changing.
A survey of 500 cannabis users last year found that while street dealers are still the most common source (45%), just above friends and family (44%), more people are buying online.
A clinic is running its own QR campaign to inform people about the risks. Pic: CuraLeaf Clinic/Third City PR
Some 7% said they had engaged with QR codes, while the use of websites offering illegal cannabis products almost doubled from 6% in 2022 to around one in ten (11%) in 2024.
The trend is even more pronounced among young adults, with 15% of 18-24-year-olds buying cannabis online.
Sarah (not her real name), a professional in her 40s, says “buying on the streets isn’t an option for me”. She has bought fake cannabis vapes through Instagram in the past.
But she says tests confirmed THC was present in a vape she bought through one of the websites.
It’s illegal to possess and sell products containing THC without a prescription, but Sarah says she’s more worried about losing money if the package gets intercepted.
“I don’t think the police would do much anyway,” she says.
What are police doing about it?
Supply can carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence, with five years for possession, although those caught with a small amount of cannabis are often dealt with by way of a warning or on-the-spot fine.
Police are aware QR code stickers are being used to sell drugs and see it as part of the evolution of how criminals have adopted technology.
They believe they could be used as evidence in future prosecutions, although none of the forces we contacted, where the issue has been reported, were able to point to any arrests.
Derbyshire Police says officers are on the look-out for stickers and will remove them when out on patrol but have not yet been able to identify the people responsible.
Detective Constable Matt Pedrick, from West Mercia Police, another area where the stickers have been reported, says any website advertising the sale of cannabis “is probably based outside the UK”.
“We remove the stickers when we find them, and would advise anyone to steer clear of these websites and to remember that drugs laws apply to all drugs regardless of where they are purchased.”
Police also believe the stickers aren’t just a matter for their officers and want councils, businesses and transport companies to remove them – and for postal services to ensure they’re not inadvertently helping supply drugs.
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Ex-NCA officer Tony Saggers says the brazen nature of the operation suggests those behind it are “laughing in the face of law enforcement” but doesn’t think it represents decriminalisation by the back door.
He says the combination of an online marketplace and a drug that’s a lower priority for police “make it easier for some people to get away with that for periods of time”.
“But I wouldn’t ever suggest that they’re always going to get away with it because people’s time does come round,” he says.
“And if a site that’s doing well and selling high volumes and increasingly high volumes continues to be successful, they’re more likely to attract attention.”
We contacted the NCA about our findings.
“Many organised crime groups selling drugs use social media and communication platforms to promote and sell their illicit produce,” it said in a statement.
“The NCA is working with partners across law enforcement and government to tackle drug trafficking.”
It suggested we contact the Metropolitan Police and Ofcom, which regulates the postal service.
The Met pointed us to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) because “the website covers the UK”, but the NPCC would not provide a comment on the record.
Two senior Labour MPs have suggested the prime minister may have to go within months if the government continues to perform poorly.
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates said his sources – a member of the government and a prominent politician – have “put Sir Keir Starmer on notice”.
Both warned that, if Labour performs badly in next May’s elections across Wales, Scotland and London, it could mark the end of his time in Downing Street.
Coates added: “The level of unhappiness and despair in parts of the Labour Party is so striking that right now, on the first anniversary, I am hearing from ministers in government that Starmer might have to go in months.”
Reform UK is surging in the polls in Wales, while Labour faces a threat from left-wing parties such as the Greens in London.
It comes as the prime minister made it clear that Rachel Reeves has his “complete support” as chancellor and remains integral to his project, Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby understands.
She looked visibly upset during Prime Minister’s Questions, with a spokesperson claiming she had been affected by a “personal matter”.
A day earlier, Sir Keir’s controversial welfare bill was passed despite a sizeable rebellion from Labour MPs, with major U-turns meaning a new £5bn black hole has appeared in the country’s finances.
One senior figure told Rigby that the pair were as “as close politically” as any chancellor and prime minister have ever been.
“She is going absolutely nowhere,” they added.
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Welfare vote ‘a blow to the prime minister’
Ms Reeves’s tears sent markets spiralling, with the value of the pound and long-term government bonds falling sharply.
Later in the day Sir Keir, said Ms Reeves will be chancellor for a “very long time to come”.
The prime minister said it was “absolutely wrong” to suggest her tearful appearance in the Commons related to the welfare U-turn.
“It’s got nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with what’s happened this week. It was a personal matter for her,” he said while speaking to the BBC’s podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson.
“I’m not going to intrude on her privacy by talking to you about that. It is a personal matter.”
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Asked if she will remain in post, he said: “She will be chancellor by the time this is broadcast, she will be chancellor for a very long time to come, because this project that we’ve been working on to change the Labour party, to win the election, change the country, that is a project which the chancellor and I’ve been working on together.”
He said Ms Reeves has done a “fantastic job” and added: “She and I work together, we think together. In the past, there have been examples – I won’t give any specific – of chancellors and prime ministers who weren’t in lockstep. We’re in lockstep.”
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, also offered a strong defence for the prime minister and chancellor.
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Health Secretary: Reeves is ‘resilient’
He told Sky News this morning that Sir Keir has been “consistently underestimated” and was “of course” safe as prime minister.
And he said Ms Reeves was a “tough character” who was ” resilient” and “here to stay”.
Despite making “significant improvements”, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has lost the “trust and confidence” of some victims of grooming gangs, according to a report by the police watchdog.
Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said that since 2019, when GMP started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, “the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation”.
The document, published today, said police have live investigations into “multi-victim, multi-offender” child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects.
Grooming gangs scandal timeline
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‘Our chance for justice’
But despite recording improvements, a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) also identified:
• Various training gaps within the investigation team
• Lack of consistency in evaluating case files between social care, health and police
• Failures to initially support victims meant they had “lost trust and confidence” in police
The report was commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in 2024 to evaluate whether police, councils and health services can protect children from sexual exploitation in the future.
Its release comes days after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was launching a new national inquiry into grooming gangs after previously arguing one was not necessary,
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Starmer to launch new grooming gang inquiry
The findings were issued as the final part of the CSE (child sexual exploitation) Assurance Review process which started in 2017. The first three reports examined non-recent child sexual exploitation in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale.
Mr Skeer said that the force has been trying to improve its service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation, but previous failings have badly affected trust in GMP.
He said: “For some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences.
“It is vital that improvements are led by victims’ experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.”
A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in “denial” more needs to be done to understand why this is the case.
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Teen caught in child sex exploitation
Inspectors also said there were “training gaps” in some investigation teams and issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to “significant delays in investigations” into grooming gangs.
It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and “was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words”, the report said.
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GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs. Called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT) it has about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget.
In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT.
The report adds: “The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past.
“It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.”
Separately, the Baird Inquiry published in July 2024 found officers at GMP were abusing their power – making unlawful arrests, unlawful and demeaning strip searches, sometimes treating victims as perpetrators, and traumatising those who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence.
The health secretary has offered a strong defence of the prime minister and chancellor – ahead of Sir Keir Starmer setting out his 10-year vision for the NHS.
PM ‘might have to go in months’ – politics latest
Wes Streeting dismissed suggestions the prime minister could be forced out in months following the toughest week of his premiership yet, and described Rachel Reeves as “resilient” and would “bounce back” following her tearful appearance in the Commons on Wednesday.
Overnight, two senior sources – a member of the government and a prominent politician – told Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates that they had “put Sir Keir Starmer on notice”.
The health secretary, who was speaking as Sir Keir prepares to set out his 10-year vision for the NHS, said the prime minister had been “consistently underestimated”.
Asked by Kamali Melbourne on Sky News Breakfast whether Sir Keir was “safe”, Mr Streeting said: “Of course.
“Keir Starmer has been consistently underestimated. I wonder when people will learn.
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Reeves has ‘complete support’
“They said he couldn’t win the Labour leadership, but he did. They said he couldn’t change the Labour Party, but he did.
“They said he couldn’t take the Labour Party from its worst defeat since the 1930s to election victory last year. And he did and now the cynics say he can’t change the country, but he will.”
As for Ms Reeves – whose tearful appearance in the Commons spooked markets after the prime minister initially failed to back her, Mr Streeting said the chancellor was a “tough character” who was “resilient and she will bounce back”.
The health secretary declined to expand on why Ms Reeves was in the chamber at all yesterday, repeating that it was a personal matter.
“Rachel Reeves as chancellor is here to stay,” he continued.
“We need her to get the economy from strength to strength, to make sure that family finances are in better health than we were when we came into office.”
Speculation about the futures of the two most senior members of the government threaten to overshadow the announcement today, which the government says is “one of the most seismic shifts” in the health service’s history.
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Why has Starmer axed NHS England?
Sir Keir will pledge three main facets of the plan: moving care into the community, digitising the NHS, and a focus on sickness prevention.
The prime minister will announce neighbourhood health services will be rolled out across England to improve access to the NHS and to shift care out of overstrained hospitals.
Sir Keir has already promised thousands more GPs will be trained, and to end the 8am “scramble” for an appointment.
He also previously said his government will bring the NHS into the digital age, with “groundbreaking” new tools to support GPs rolled out over the next two years – including AI to take notes, draft letters and enter data.
And he will promise new contracts that will encourage and allow GP practices to cover a wider geographical area, so small practices will get more support.
Unite, one of the UK’s largest healthcare unions, welcomed the plan cautiously but said staff need to be the focus to ensure people are better looked after.
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‘Reform or die’
Sir Keir said: “The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.
“But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.
“That ends now. Because it’s reform or die.”
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Neighbourhood health services
The newly announced neighbourhood health services will provide “pioneering teams” in local communities, so patients can more conveniently access a full range of healthcare services close to home.
Local areas will be encouraged to trial innovative schemes like community outreach door-to-door to detect early signs of illness and reduce pressure on GPs and A&E.
The aim is to eventually have new health centres open 12 hours a day, six days a week to offer GP services as well as diagnostics, post-operative care and rehab.
They will also offer services like debt advice, employment support, stop smoking help or weight management.
More NHS dentists
Dentists will also be part of the plan, with dental care professionals part of the neighbourhood teams.
Dental “therapists” will carry out check-ups, treatments and referrals, while dental nurses could give education and advice to parents or work with schools and community groups.
Newly qualified dentists will be required to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, which they have said will be three years.
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