UK Trading Standards Seize Over 300,000 Counterfeit Products

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Kent Trading Standards of the UK's trading standards department seized over 300,000 counterfeit products in December.

James Whiddett, spokesperson for the UK's Trading Standards agency KTS, stated that although much of their work focuses on retail stores, they are now targeting the supply chain. He explained that they are working to prevent the distribution of devices in which the nicotine levels exceed legal limits by up to 10 times.

He stated, "Currently, the legal limit for disposable e-cigarette cartridges is 2 milliliters, which is equivalent to 600 puffs. We have seen products entering the UK with 3,500 puffs and some even with 7,000 puffs. Thus, they are illegal and cannot be provided to anyone.

He continued to state that in the past nine months, there has been a sharp rise in demand for disposable e-cigarettes in the UK.

He said, "These electronic cigarettes don't require users to add their own e-liquid, which makes them both convenient and simple. We're unsure where these illegal e-cigarettes have ended up and our investigation is ongoing.

Gillian Golden, CEO of the UK Independent Electronic Cigarette Trade Association, has stated that non-compliant electronic cigarette products are often associated with illegal sales, typically targeting underage consumers.

Gillian Golden stated that the association will continue to assist in the rigorous investigation of non-compliant transactions of electronic cigarette products.