88,000 illegal vapes seized across the West Midlands as a Dudley shop owner escapes jail

The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, relate to devices seized by Dudley, Shropshire and Wolverhampton councils.

The majority of the seizures took place in Dudley, where the council staged a number of operations to crack down on the sale of illegal e-cigarettes.

During 2023, trading standards officers in Dudley seized 43,174 illegal devices, and a further 33,400 during the first nine months of 2024.

Wolverhampton Council seized 4,874 vapes in 2023, followed by 2,376 during the first nine months of 2024.

In Shropshire, 3,126 were seized during 2023, with a further 1,131 seized during the period up to October 15, 2024.

Dudley shop owner gets suspended prison sentence for selling illegal vapes

Councillor James Clinton, Dudley Council's cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said the authority had staged a number of operations to crack down on the sale of illegal e-cigarettes.

High-profile raids included the Halesowen Mini Market in Peckingham Street, which was hit by a three-month closure order in July last year.

In May last year,  Karamjot Singh of Robert Street, Lower Gornal, received an eight-month suspended prison sentence for selling illegal vapes from his two businesses Dudley Drinks Stop in Wolverhampton Street, and The Liquor Well, in Old Park Road.

Councillor Clinton praised trading standards officers for their work in tackling the problem. 

“We have a fantastic trading standards team who clearly take great pride in their work from the leadership down, and as such these figures certainly come as no surprise to me," he said.

“It is a reflection of how hard our officers are working to protect residents in the borough, and how seriously we take the sale of illegal vapes.

“They can be adulterated with unknown ingredients and dangerous chemicals, and often fund organised crime.

“We refuse to tolerate children or any of our residents being put at risk by buying such items, and it’s also not fair on businesses who are abiding by the law.

“These figures should act as a warning that our trading standards team will not hesitate to take enforcement action to protect the public.”

9,000 illegal vapes seized from Wolverhampton shop

The figures do not include 9,000 illegal vapes that were seized from a shop in Wolverhampton in November, during a joint operation between police and trading standards.

They do include 200 vapes seized during a raid on GSK Liquor Stop in Dudley Road, Blakenhall, in July last year, along with more than 8,000 pints worth of beer, nearly 300 litres of wine, 60 litres of spirits and more than ten tons of chewing tobacco which had no proof of tax. In October last year, The shop's licence was suspended for six weeks.

Wolverhampton trading standards also seized 878 illegal vapes and 660 illegal cigarettes during a raid on Family Shopper in Wood End Road, Wednesfield, September 28, 2023, following complaints from the public.

Shops in Shrewsbury and Market Drayton fined for selling illegal vapes

In Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, the Castle Hill store and its director Nazar Haytham Ali were ordered to pay more than £30,000 for the illegal sale of disposable vapes, and for selling a vape to a person under 18, following three separate raids during 2023 and 2024. Trading standards officers visited the shop in November 2023, and found 900 non-compliant vapes concealed in the basement. A second raid, the following July, found 215 illegal vapes, including some hidden in an old oven.

The Phone Junction shop in Market Drayton, and its director Rizwan Tanveer, were ordered to pay more than £4,000 when they appeared before Telford magistrates last month for the possession of vapes with excess levels of nicotine,  and for selling a vape to a person under 18. Tanveer was also handed an 18-month conditional discharge.

Councillor Chris Schofield, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for regulatory services, said :“The legal controls that govern vapes are quite clear and the law states that the maximum tank size is two millilitres. We have known for many years that nicotine is highly addictive, and therefore the amount and strength of it in compliant devices is controlled for a reason.

“The law relating to sales of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine vaping products, fireworks and other age-restricted products and services exists to protect children and young people from harm – and for this reason the council takes its role in preventing sales of age-restricted products very seriously.

“Our trading standards team wants to work with businesses to ensure they comply with the law and act responsibly. However, where necessary we will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action, as this case shows.”

The figures do not include more than 3,200 illegal vapes seized by Sandwell Council during the first seven months of last year.

More than £120,000 worth of dangerous vapes and tobacco were seized by officers at three different premises following a tip-off. Some of the goods were hidden using sophisticated methods including behind a false wall, a bathroom mirror and beneath an adapted shelving unit. They were also were secured with an electro-magnetic system.