Freedom of Information requests submitted by the BBC have revealed that more than six million illegal vaping products were seized by Trading Standards officers across England between 2022 and 2024.
The data, obtained from 133 of the 136 local Trading Standards bodies in England, paints a concerning picture for legitimate retailers, with over 7,500 instances of retailers caught selling non-compliant products during test purchases in the three-year period.
The revelations come as vape shops were among businesses targeted in last month's nationwide Operation Machinize, a three-week crackdown on high street crime led by the National Crime Agency with Home Office funding.
The operation, which focused on businesses allegedly used as fronts for organised crime, saw officers visit 265 premises across England, resulting in 35 arrests and the seizure of over 8,000 illegal vapes, alongside more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes and 7,000 packs of tobacco.
Ten shops have already been shut following the operation, with further closures expected as investigations continue. Officers secured freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1 million and executed 84 warrants during the crackdown.
Sophisticated concealment
Newcastle City Council's senior Trading Standards officer Paul Leighton described finding illegal vapes hidden in increasingly sophisticated locations, from inside fridges and barbecues to behind fake fuse boxes and tiled panels with hydraulic lifts.
"I've seen entire kitchens come away from walls and off the floor as well... all sorts of hiding places," Leighton told the BBC.
The FOI data further revealed that selling illegal vapes was a factor in at least 316 shop closures during the three-year period, while selling to children resulted in at least 67 closures. Most closures were temporary, though some retailers were shut down multiple times.
The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) has emphasised that the majority of vape shops operate within the law, serving adult customers who would otherwise be smoking tobacco products.
"These business owners would never knowingly involve themselves in criminal activity. Rather, it is since the resurgence of popularity of single-use vapes, and therefore a popular 'cash market', that we've seen organised crime gangs get involved in importing and distributing vapes," the BBC cites an IBVTA spokesperson as saying.
The trade body has long advocated for stronger enforcement action at UK borders to prevent illegal products from entering the country in the first place.
Hope for improvement
With the upcoming ban on single-use disposable vapes, Trading Standards officers are cautiously optimistic that the situation will improve.
"These are quite sophisticated networks that we're up against who are also involved in lots of quite serious activities including modern day slavery, trafficking, drug supply," said Leighton. "I think we'll see a lot less product taken off the street because we haven't really had a massive issue with reusable vapes for quite some time."
The Department of Health and Social Care has allocated an additional £10 million this financial year for Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit sales, with plans to fund approximately 80 additional apprentice enforcement officers.
