Illegal vapes worth £4,000 seized from hidden room in Gloucester shop

Illegal vapes worth £4,000 have been seized by Gloucestershire County Council trading standards officers from a shop near Gloucester city centre, following the discovery of a hidden room in the premises.

An inspection was carried out on 27 February, to follow up on a number of test purchases of illegal vapes which had been made by an undercover trading standards officer in the weeks before.

When the undercover officer previously visited the shop and asked for a particular brand of vape, they were handed a sheet of paper with various flavours. The shop worker left the shop floor to go to the rear of the premises, before returning with the selected vape which contained more nicotine liquid that permitted by law.

Trading standards officers visited the shop on 27 February to search the premises and focused on the space behind the shop floor. They noticed that of all the rooms in the premises, the toilet room had been recently renovated with a smart toilet and sink suite and PVC clad walls. Officers also took account of room measurements and noted some missing floor space.

They discovered that the PVC cladding in the toilet room had been used to conceal a doorway into a hidden room, which was kept closed by magnetic door locks.

The trading standards officers found 468 illegal electronic cigarettes worth around £4,000 as well as the empty display boxes of a further 731.

“These products harm the trade of legitimate suppliers and pose a risk to public health,” Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said.

“The level of sophistication in this concealment was considerable and this was a deliberate and concerted effort to evade detection. This seizure shows that our trading standards team will work tirelessly to keep these harmful products off the streets, no matter what efforts unscrupulous traders make to keep them hidden.”

The council said trading standards officers have discovered sophisticated concealments in the past in relation to the storage of illegal tobacco, but this is the first time a concealed room has been discovered.

The trading standards investigation is continuing.

Last year, trading standards and police seized 275 illegal vapes – including the largest oversized e-cigarette ever found in South Gloucestershire – from a convenience store in Mangotsfield.