Brazen Soho shopkeepers have been caught selling vapes disguised as children’s toy cups and packed with illegal levels of nicotine.
The shocking find was part of a massive £35,000 haul uncovered by Westminster City Council’s Trading Standards team and police in a joint raid.
The so-called “Taki 99 Tiger Cup”, which looks like a plastic drinking vessel complete with straw, was confiscated during a raid on Soho Vape in Noel Street.
Single-use vapes were banned by the Governmnet on June 1 in a bid to protect the environment, crack down on teen vaping and protect young people from nicotine addiction.
It is illegal to sell devices that are not rechargeable or refillable with separate components under the new rules.
Officials believe the bust last month uncovered one of the largest hauls since the ban came into effect.
When council officers swooped on the Soho store, they found a stash of at least 3,000 banned devices.
Vapes which looked like a childrens toys were loaded with a whopping 30mg/ml of nicotine, far above the UK’s 20mg/ml legal limit.
They also contained 12ml of nicotine liquid, six times the permitted 2ml.
Retailing at about £15, the Chinese-made Taki vape is illegal because it looks like food and could easily end up in a child’s hands.
Officers also discovered dodgy vape refills and pod salts with an excessive volume and suspected illegal nicotine content as well as illicit tobacco and shisha, Westminster City Council said.
Many carried incorrect health warnings showing they were never intended for UK shelves.
Nicotine pouches with foreign labels were also seized.
Westminster City Council leader Adam Hug said: “It appears some shop owners are determined to flout the change in UK law and sell illegal and unsafe single-use vapes to people in Westminster.
“Particularly cynical is the use of devices shaped like a child’s toy cup which could run the risk of luring children into vaping.
“Thanks to targeted intelligence work by police and the council, thousands of items are now off the streets.
“If dodgy businesses try to pedal such products, we will ensure their illicit vaping profits go up in smoke.”
