2023 Police Raid Reveals Illegal E-cigarette Trade in Birmingham
According to British media reports on February 28, in November 2023, police and the trading standards agency conducted a surprise inspection at two convenience stores in Birmingham and found thousands of e-cigarettes exceeding the 600-puff or 2ml capacity limit.
According to reports, on Tuesday, November 7th of last year, two stores suspected of selling a large quantity of illegal e-cigarettes were reported to the Trade Standards Bureau by the police, and began to be investigated.
The police gathered certain e-cigarettes as evidence at the scene, while the rest were hidden in the cabinet underneath the display case across from the checkout counter.
In January last year, the assistant manager of a store received a Vape Advice Warning due to allegations of selling counterfeit e-cigarettes, requiring them to verify their e-cigarette products.
The regulations state that all products must clearly display the address of the manufacturer in the UK; ensure that the nicotine or nicotine salt content does not exceed 2%; limit the e-liquid quantity to no more than 2 milliliters, equivalent to 600 puffs; and include a warning label stating "This product contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance." If any of these requirements are not met, the shop must remove the product from shelves, return it to the supplier, and report the supplier's information to the trading standards agency. The shop is also warned that there will be follow-up inspections to verify compliance with the regulations outlined in the notification.
According to Paul Ellson, Executive Director of the Trade Standards Bureau, in the application for license review, he stated that "despite previous regulatory advice on e-cigarettes and electronic vaporizers, the store has continued to sell a large number of non-compliant e-cigarettes. This information was clearly ignored or intentionally disregarded by the store owner, which is in stark contrast to the expected behavior of a license holder.
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