Police Seize £17,500 Worth of Illegal Vape Pens

May.18.2023

Police seize 2,500 illegal vape pens worth £17,500 in Luton, UK. Products are often sold to children.

On May 18th, BBC reported that the Luton police in the UK seized about 2,500 illegal disposable e-cigarette products on May 9th, with an estimated value of £17,500.

The operation was a joint raid conducted by the Luton Borough Council Trade Standards Committee and the Bedfordshire County Police. The search took place at a location in Bury Park, Luton, and investigators also discovered the sale of shisha tobacco being poured into unlabeled plastic containers.

So far, the Luton police have seized 11,000 illegal e-cigarette items.

Hazel Simmons, the leader of the Luton City Council, stated that illegal electronic cigarettes and other items are often associated with wider organized crime activities.

According to the committee's disclosure, illegal e-cigarette products are more dangerous than regulated e-cigarette devices and tobacco. Authorities report that these items are often sold to schoolchildren and minors under the age of 18.

Ms. Simmons added, "Selling illegal e-cigarettes and evading tobacco taxes is unfair to compliant businesses.

References:

Police seize 2,500 unauthorized vape pens worth £17,500.

#Europe #Legislation #Open system e-cigarettes #United Kingdom #Illegal e-cigarettes

This document has been generated through artificial intelligence translation and is provided solely for the purposes of industry discourse and learning. Please note that the intellectual property rights of the content belong to the original media source or author. Owing to certain limitations in the translation process, there may be discrepancies between the translated text and the original content. We recommend referring to the original source for complete accuracy. In case of any inaccuracies, we invite you to reach out to us with corrections. If you believe any content has infringed upon your rights, please contact us immediately for its removal.

Imperial Brands FY25 Results: NGP Net Revenue Up 13.7%, Americas Surges Nearly 70%

Imperial Brands reported FY25 NGP net revenue of £368 million, up 13.7% at constant currency. Growth in the Americas accelerated sharply, with NGP revenue up 69.8%, driven by the expansion of the modern oral brand Zone. Europe delivered 8.8% growth, supported by blu’s double-digit vapour share across key markets. Adjusted NGP operating losses narrowed to £76 million, putting the category closer to breakeven.

Nov.18 by 2FIRSTS.ai

WHO MOP4 Focuses on Justice and Prosecution to Combat Illicit Tobacco Trade

The Fourth Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products opened in Geneva on November 24, 2025. With 60 Parties participating, the meeting focuses on strengthening legal action and international cooperation to combat illicit trade, which accounts for about 11% of the global tobacco market and costs governments billions in lost tax revenue.

Nov.25 by 2FIRSTS.ai

PMI Launches IQOS ILUMA i in the Philippines, Debuts via Official Stores and Online Channels

PMFTC, the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), has introduced the heated tobacco device IQOS ILUMA i in the Philippines, featuring induction-heating technology and multiple smart functions. PMI aims to increase the share of smoke-free products to around 66% of its net revenues by 2030. Previously, PMFTC had already launched ZYN nicotine pouch products in Manila.

Nov.25 by 2FIRSTS.ai

Russia’s Public Chamber official opposes “generational ban” on tobacco sales, citing rights concerns

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.

Jan.08 by 2FIRSTS.ai