Police seize more than 76,000 illegal e-cigarettes in Newcastle after sales 'surge'

In Newcastle, tens of thousands of illegal e-cigarettes have been seized, with a total value exceeding £1 million. These e-cigarettes are linked to organized crime groups, and sales have 'surged'.<\/p>

On Thursday, city councilors were informed about the scale of the e-cigarette issue in the city, and they were left 'shocked'.<\/p>

While e-cigarettes are seen as a tool to help adult smokers quit, there are concerns about the supply of non-compliant e-cigarettes and the increasing use among children.

There have also been complaints about discarded e-cigarettes and their packaging piling up on the streets and green spaces of the city.

David Ellerington, Newcastle's trading standards manager, told members of the city council's health scrutiny committee on Thursday that since the popularity of e-cigarettes surged in the autumn of 2021, his team has seized 3.3 tons of non-compliant e-cigarette products, equivalent to about 76,000 e-cigarettes and refill containers, with a total value of £1.1 million.

Ellerington stated that organized crime groups that were previously involved in the supply of illegal cigarettes have now turned to supplying e-cigarettes, and 'some individuals are making a lot of money from this'.

He added that a series of complaints regarding e-cigarettes include school principals handing over products found in students' pencil cases to the council.

Earlier this year, three shops in the Byker area were closed for selling counterfeit cigarettes and e-cigarettes, sometimes even selling to children as young as 10, after local democracy reporting service revealed a parent's concern about groups of young people flocking to shops on SHIELDs Road.

In November last year, a convenience store on Chillingham Road in Heaton had its license suspended for three months due to multiple seizures of illegal cigarettes and non-compliant e-cigarettes.

Ellerington warned that during council inspections, non-compliant retailers are using 'very clever and well-designed cover-ups' to hide illegal items.

He said: 'We recognize that this work is very important, and we have received many complaints from residents. Some children come to Newcastle and obtain these e-cigarettes because it is seen as a soft target, given the location of the shops. This is not to say we are the problem - there are issues in the Tyne and Wear area as well, but we are doing our best to address it.'

Committee chair Wendy Taylor called for a ban on displaying e-cigarettes in shops - just like cigarettes.

She added: 'I was shocked to see 3.3 tons of non-compliant e-cigarette products being collected.'

It is illegal to sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes to anyone under 18, and manufacturers have been accused of using bright packaging and sweet flavors to attract children.

Ellerington's report stated that the demand for e-cigarettes has led to illegal imports from Asia and the United States, which are not subject to UK legal restrictions on volume or nicotine content.

The government is considering new regulations to combat the use of e-cigarettes, including restricting their flavors, making them invisible to children in stores, and closing loopholes in the law that allow children to obtain free samples and purchase non-nicotine e-cigarettes.