Millions Of Vapes Seized In Illegal Trade Crackdown

Paul Leighton is packing his rucksack pinch a heavy-duty hammer, pry barroom and grounds bags for what he describes arsenic "just an mean time out".

As nan elder Trading Standards serviceman astatine Newcastle City Council, he has learned nan hiding places utilized to conceal forbidden vapes tin beryllium sophisticated. Sometimes, he has to unit his measurement in.

He has recovered them hidden everyplace from wrong fridges and barbecues to down clone fuse boxes and tiled panels complete pinch hydraulic lifts.

"I've seen full kitchens travel distant from walls and disconnected nan level arsenic well… truthful each sorts of hiding places," he says.

Classified arsenic illicit aliases non-compliant vapes, nan products he will beryllium searching for coming neglect to meet nan ineligible requirements for waste successful nan UK.

More than six cardinal of them were seized successful England betwixt 2022 and 2024, according to study by nan BBC.

The wellness risks posed to unwitting customers are summed up by Connor Lamb, a elder technician for licensing besides taking portion successful nan unannounced checks connected shops.

If you get a normal vape, he says, "they've sewage a capacity which is capable for 600 puffs - nan balanced to 20 cigarettes".

But if you get an forbidden one, "it tin beryllium thing from 200 cigarettes successful 1 vape. Obviously personification buying this to spell connected a nighttime retired aliases a kid mightiness conscionable beryllium chuffing connected it each time and you tin ideate nan drastic effect that'll person connected someone's lungs."

According to Trading Standards, illicit aliases non-compliant vapes tin beryllium thing pinch vessel sizes greater than 2ml, a nicotine spot of much than 20ml aliases labels that do not show shaper specifications and wellness warnings.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency powerfully advises consumers not to usage them arsenic nan existent contented - and immoderate imaginable wellness consequence - is unknown.

On nan road, Paul and Connor quickly find a stash of betwixt 12 and 20 packs of forbidden vapes astatine nan backmost of a shop counter.

"It would beryllium different to person truthful fewer successful a shop that sells rather often for illustration this, truthful it's conscionable a lawsuit of wherever they're hiding nan rest," says Paul.

We caput to a room astatine nan backmost of nan shop. There is simply a stench of urine. It is afloat of litter and we are heavy successful seemingly quiet cardboard boxes.

Paul's hunch is proven correct though arsenic a hunt among nan rubbish unearths a container of forbidden vapes.

Of 136 section Trading Standards bodies successful England, 133 responded to BBC Freedom of Information requests, showing that betwixt 2022 and 2024:

• At slightest 6,169,822 illicit aliases non-compliant vaping products were seized, including those taken astatine ports arsenic good arsenic successful shops
• There were 3,766 records of retailers trading vapes to children making trial purchases, pinch immoderate retailers perchance caught much than once
• Retailers were recorded 7,594 times arsenic trading illicit aliases non-compliant vapes connected trial purchases

Selling forbidden vapes was a facet successful astatine slightest 316 shop closures during that period, while trading to children was a facet successful astatine slightest 67. Most of nan closures were impermanent and immoderate retailers whitethorn person been unopen down much than once.

The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) insists nan mostly of vape shops run wrong nan law, serving adults who would different beryllium smoking.

A spokesperson said: "These business owners would ne'er knowingly impact themselves successful criminal activity. Rather, it is since nan resurgence of fame of single-use vapes, and truthful a celebrated 'cash market', that we've seen organised crime gangs get progressive successful importing and distributing vapes."

They said IBVTA had agelong called for greater enforcement action astatine borders to stem nan travel of forbidden products entering nan country.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was allocating an other £10m this financial twelvemonth for Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit sales, pinch an expected 80 further apprentice enforcement officers to beryllium funded.

Paul and Connor work together single-use vapes are among nan main driving forces of nan forbidden waste and acquisition and dream nan coming prohibition will amended nan situation.

"These are rather blase networks that we're up against who are besides progressive successful tons of rather superior activities arsenic good arsenic modern time slavery, trafficking, supplier supply," says Paul.

"I deliberation we'll spot a batch little merchandise taken disconnected nan thoroughfare because we haven't really had a monolithic rumor pinch reusable vapes for rather immoderate time.

"They've ever been broadly compliant successful position of nan devices that are being used, nan batteries, nan liquids, nan overseas oversized vessel here."

From 1 June, it will beryllium forbidden for businesses successful nan UK to sell, proviso aliases person single-use vapes for sale.

Those caught doing truthful will get a £200 on-the-spot good successful nan first instance, rising to an unlimited good and/or a situation condemnation of up to 2 years for repetition offences.

The authorities has said Trading Standards will beryllium capable to support nan afloat worth of nan on-the-spot fines, to reinvest into enforcement.

Extra enforcement powers and backing are thing IBVTA says it welcomes, noting "not each Trading Standards teams are arsenic aliases adequately resourced" and "some areas pinch debased regulatory compliance are incapable to transportation retired nan enforcement they would want to".

But a nationalist spokesperson for Trading Standards said its activity was "definitely having an impact".

Government backing had enabled "extra boots connected nan ground" astatine Heathrow Airport and Dover Port, nan spokesperson said, which explained nan precocious number of seizures by nan section authorities location to those separator points – Hillingdon and Kent.

In Hillingdon alone, 2,099,248 vaping products were seized betwixt 2022-2024, making up a 3rd of nan total.

They said Salford was location to a number of vape warehouses supplying products crossed England, meaning "seizing astatine this shape successful nan proviso concatenation is really effective".

However, they said location was still a "huge situation successful position of retailers prepared to waste forbidden products arsenic good arsenic those who persistently waste to children".

Back successful Newcastle, Paul offers a akin appraisal of nan task faced nationally.

He estimates nan number of forbidden vapes still circulating successful nan state is "easily successful nan millions astatine nan moment", adding: "It's a changeless conflict trying to make a difference."