More than 1,800 counterfeit vapes worth about £22,000 have been seized in Liverpool from eight premises.
The vapes seized failed to comply with strict licencing regulations and were seized in a joint sting by Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police, BBC reported today (7). The council said retailers were overlooking the rules over nicotine strength in vapes, which is a restriction of no more than 20mg/ml.
Liverpool's Director of Public Health, Professor Matthew Ashton, said, "The long-term effects of vaping are, as yet, unknown. Selling illicit products increases the risk of these and other side effects."
Police has also warned illegal traders of further raids over the summer.
Merseyside Police Sergeant Simon Newman said: "The vaping industry is subject to strict controls and regulation, and it is illegal to breach those regulations for a reason. Operations such as this are about protecting the public from the potential harm that can be caused when the ingredients and quantities contained in vapes do not comply with the regulations.
"Those who seek to profit from the sale of counterfeit vapes care little for the risks to the health of their customers."
The latest seizure comes a month after Trading Standards claimed of seizing over 30,000 illegal vapes with a retail value of nearly £40,000 in Liverpool in the last 18 months from 170 shops.
Many are designed to appeal to children, stated reports, adding comments from a trading officer saying that some of the seized ones were called "Gummy Bears" while some others have the brand name "Skittles but without the double t".
"Our main grudge really has been sometimes we've been seizing 1,000 vapes from a shop at £12 each, they're (the shops) being hit in the pocket a lot because we find that when we're going to court with illicit or with underage sales, they're walking away with a £100 fine," reports quoted Compliance Officer Mark Wainwright as saying. "There doesn't seem to be the understanding yet of how big a problem it is."
The government is promising to close a loophole that allows shops in England to give free samples of vapes to children.
