Greater Manchester Police seize more than £95,000 in illegal vapes weeks after national ban suggested

Greater Manchester Police have carried out a raid on illegal vapes in the region, and over £95,000 worth of the product has been seized. The raid took place alongside Trading Standards on two days in September.

The seizure of the vape products comes weeks after UK ministers outlined plans to ban disposable vapes. This is mainly due to the ease in which children can get hold of the product and the products have been called on to be banned for health and environmental issues.  

On September 14, 942 vapes were seized from iBlaze Vape in Burnage on 14 September 2023. Their approximate value was £16,500 and authorities acted on information provided by the local community. 

A week later, on September 21, three premises in Stockport were raided and £80,000 worth of vapes were seized. The vape products were taken by authorities for having more than the legal limit of liquid in the chamber, and a few were also displaying the wrong health warnings.

The UK legal limit on nicotine in disposable e-cigarettes is no more than two per cent (20ml) and must not exceed 2ml in capacity. This works out at around 600 'puffs'.

Sergeant Stuart Farrell, of GMP's COM South Neighbourhood Team, said: “These results will have made a dent in the pockets of these traders. Many of the disposable vapes seized had packaging and flavouring aimed specifically to appeal to children and young people.

“There has been a rapid rise of vaping among children and young people, including the use of cheaper illicit and unregulated vape which is extremely concerning. The health implications they have on young people can be significant, and the rise of single-use vapes is causing environmental issues across the country.

"As a force, Greater Manchester Police are committed to making communities safer and better places to live and work, and we will always work closely with community members to ensure we achieve this.”

GMP have said that if you are concerned about anything relating to illicit vapes, they can contact the police via 101 or the Live Chat Function on their website