loading
Home   |   News   |  

Police have seized 2,800 illegal e-cigarettes worth £20,000 during raids in Bolton

Police have seized 2,800 illegal e-cigarettes worth £20,000 during raids in Bolton

2023-03-28

March 28 - Police have seized suspected illegal e-cigarettes worth £20,000 in Bolton after three medical incidents were reported at a local secondary school.


Greater Manchester Police were in possession of 2,800 e-cigarettes, which can produce highly toxic gas, during a one-day operation with trading standards staff.


The action is in response to medical incidents believed to be linked to the use of illegal e-cigarettes - the person involved in the high school case has made a full recovery.


An unnamed participant at the school reported the medical incident to police, who are now testing the devices.


Trading Standards recently warned that up to a third of e-cigarettes sold on the high street could be illegal.


Chief Superintendent Steph Parker, Bolton Commander, said: Health colleagues have issued warnings about illegal e-cigarettes which can produce highly toxic fumes, but our joint efforts to keep people safe do not stop there and today's operation and these seizures are just one example of continued hard work.


Laboratory tests this month revealed that fake THC or cannabis oil e-cigarettes collected in Greater Manchester contained high levels of vitamin E acetate, a chemical that produces toxic fumes.


Vitamin E acetate is an oily chemical that can be added to a liquid to thicken or dilute it to take it further.


Inhaling vitamin E acetate can cause lung injury, according to NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, the Manchester Evening News reported.


Non-compliant or illegal e-cigarettes often do not meet regulations because they are not properly labeled, may have higher nicotine levels, or e-cigarettes may be overfilled.


Current regulations limit the size of e-cigarette cans to 2 ml and the nicotine concentration to 20 mg/ml.


Some stores sell devices that are more than five times the legal size, offering up to 3,500 for young users instead of the legal limit of between 600 and 800


Rogue e-cigarettes are flooding the UK market, with 1.4 tonnes seized in the North-East of England alone in the last six months of 2022.


A report by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) last year found that the proportion of children aged 11 to 17 currently using e-cigarettes jumped from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022.


In 2013, only 3% of children aged 11 to 15 had used e-cigarettes, but this rose to 8% in 2020 and 10% in 2022.


Under UK law, it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes and vape products containing nicotine or tobacco to children under 18.


The Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers said sales of alcohol and tobacco to under-18s fell by 11% and 23% respectively in 2022 compared with the previous year.


But at the same time, sales of e-cigarettes to under-18s have increased by 450%, says Kate Pike, head of tobacco control at Trading Standards North West.


She added that inappropriate advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes on social media was a key issue in addressing "how to make e-cigarettes less attractive and accessible to under-18s, while ensuring it is more attractive and accessible to smokers who wish to quit."


"More work needs to be done, particularly on TikTok, to help prevent e-cigarettes from appearing attractive to people under 18."


Chat Online
Chat Online
Leave Your Message inputting...
Sign in with: