Shops using WhatsApp to evade vape raids – council

Hounslow Council’s Trading Standards team seized more than £33,000 worth of illegal vapes and tobacco in September

Shop owners selling illegal vapes and tobacco are using WhatsApp groups to warn each other of raids, a west London council officer has warned.

Hounslow Council’s Trading Standards seized more than £33,000 worth of illegal products in September, including a total of 4,859 illegal vapes and 3,806 illegal cigarettes.

An officer present on these raids told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that one shopkeeper was caught on CCTV throwing his stock of illicit products on to the roof of an outbuilding, after being warned that raids were taking place.

Council officers also said that illegal vapes and tobacco were being sold in barbers, restaurants and even carpet shops, as well as off-licences.

Hounslow Council worked with Metropolitan Police to conduct raids at 16 premises in Chiswick, Feltham and Hounslow High Street on 23 and 24 September.

The vapes seized during these raids had a total market value of £30,000, and either exceeded the legal tank size and nicotine strength limits, or were illegal for sale in the UK, such as disposable vapes, the council said.

Trading standards officers also seized 16kg (2st 7lb) of shisha and 11kg (1st 11lb) of chewing tobacco.

Many of the vapes seized by Hounslow Council were disposable vapes, which have been banned in the UK since 1 June

These raids were part of Operation CeCe, a national operation launched by Trading Standards and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs which seized 1.19m illegal vapes in 2023-24.

This was before the ban on disposable vapes came into effect on 1 June.

Meanwhile, Hounslow Council said it seized more than £400,000 worth of illegal tobacco in 2024, and had seized a further £100,000 worth since April.

The council said that unregulated products could contain dangerous levels of tar and nicotine, and in some cases have contained arsenic and lead.

Labour councillor Pritam Grewal, cabinet minister for community safety and enforcement at Hounslow Council, added: “The sale of illegal tobacco and vapes is a serious issue that harms our communities and puts the health of our residents at risk.

“These products are unregulated, unsafe, and can cause young people to become addicted to nicotine.

“We will continue to take firm action against those who seek to profit at the expense of public health and community safety.”