According to a recent report by The Loadstar, data released by the e-cigarette retailer Vape Club shows that British freight docks, airports, and seaports have become major locations for the surge in illegal e-cigarettes.
Vape Club, the UK's largest e-cigarette retailer, conducted a survey which found that London's major airports, Manchester, and Dover Harbour are being used as supply routes to fuel the proliferation of illegal e-cigarettes in the UK. The survey found that in 2023, these areas had the highest number of e-cigarettes confiscated, accounting for 42% of the total confiscations in the UK. According to the 2024 report on illegal e-cigarettes, over 1.5 million illegal e-cigarettes were confiscated in the UK in 2023. Dover Harbour had the highest number of illegal e-cigarettes confiscated in 2023, with over 250,000 confiscated. This was followed by Islington, and Manchester Airport where 158,434 illegal e-cigarettes were seized.
The report stated: "This finding has raised concerns about the potential dangers of illegal e-cigarettes being smuggled into the UK through its borders.
The organization's director, Dan Marchant, stated:
Unregulated illegal e-cigarette trade reflects common issues previously seen in the black market for cigarettes, including youth usage, potential dangers of the products, and lack of regulation in retail.
He stated that the recent ban on disposable e-cigarettes proposed by the British government has "opened the door to a larger illegal e-cigarette black market," and he is calling on the trading standards authority and local governments to increase penalties.
We fully welcome the move by the Trading Standards Bureau to impose fines on the spot, but we hope to increase the amount of the fine to at least £10,000 and increase fines for repeat offenders.
The current maximum fine is £2,500.
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