IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

Thai economic crime police have raided a residence in Chonburi province used for the illegal production and distribution of e-cigarettes, arresting a Chinese national. Authorities seized large quantities of vape devices, components, e-liquids and production equipment, as well as powder suspected to be linked to a controlled psychoactive substance. Further forensic analysis is underway.

New research from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) found microbial contamination — including coliform, a bacteria indicating fecal exposure — in some vaping devices confiscated from U.S. schools. However, researchers stressed that newly purchased, unopened vapes showed no such contamination. The findings point to risks linked to unregulated products and improper storage conditions, reinforcing the importance of regulated supply chains and product authentication.

Vladislav Grib, deputy secretary of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, said a “generational ban” on cigarette sales—restricting sales based on year of birth—would not resolve smoking and would instead lead to human rights violations. He argued older cohorts would buy and share, and the approach would split citizens into two categories.

China Boton Group Company Limited (Stock Code: 3318) announced that trading in its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) was temporarily suspended at 9 a.m. on December 8, 2025. The suspension was requested by the company pending the release of an announcement related to a “very substantial disposal.”

UK police have carried out a nationwide crackdown under Operation Machinize 2, targeting illegal vapes, counterfeit goods, and grey-market businesses. Raids on more than 2,700 premises led to 924 arrests and the seizure of 111,000 illegal vapes, 70kg of cannabis, 4.5m cigarettes, and £10.7m in proceeds.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released its 2025 Community Health Survey results covering more than 230,000 adults. Traditional cigarette smoking dropped to 17.9%, down 1 percentage point from last year, while e-cigarette use increased to 9.3%, up 0.6 points. Overall tobacco product use stood at 22.1%, a slight decline from 2024 but still 0.5 points higher than 2019.