Illegal Vape Sellers Using WhatsApp to Dodge Prosecution
Councillor officer reveals new tactic by rogue shopkeepers
A shop selling vapes. Picture: AI Generated
October 20, 2025
WhatsApp groups are being used by rogue shop owners across the borough to warn each other of raids by Trading Standards searching for illegal vapes and tobacco products.
Over £33,000 worth of illegal tobacco and vapes were seized in Hounslow in September following a series of council-led raids.
Illegal tobacco and vapes were found by Hounslow Council’s Trading Standards team working with the Metropolitan Police across 23-24 September. Raids were conducted at 16 premises in Chiswick, Feltham and Hounslow High Street.
A total of 4,859 illegal vapes with a market value of £30,000 were found. The vapes seized exceeded the legal tank size and nicotine strength limits or were illegal for sale in the UK – such as disposable vapes.
Additionally, 3,806 illegal cigarettes with a market value of £3,000 were found, alongside 16kg of shisha and 11kg of chewing tobacco. A council officer present on some of the raids told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that some shops are becoming smarter in their attempts to cover up possession of illegal products.
When carrying out a series of raids, the council only has a few genuine opportunities to surprise suspected illegal sellers. This is because, according to a council officer, these shops all share WhatsApp group chats and warn each other of potential raids.
In one case during a previous raid, one shopkeeper was warned by his colleagues that there were council raids going on nearby, so he packed up his illicit tobacco and vapes into a rucksack, and launched it onto the roof of an outbuilding. Disappointingly for him, the council had already received intelligence that he was selling illicit products, and upon reviewing his CCTV, found him attempting to dispose of the products.
However, it is not just the standard off-licence style shops selling illicit tobacco these days. According to council officers, there are cases of illegal vapes and tobacco being sold in barbers, restaurants, and even carpet shops.
In 2024, Hounslow Council says it seized over £400,000 worth of illegal tobacco products. Since April 2025, it’s seized over £100,000.
This is part of a wider operation launched by Trading Standards and HMRC in 2021 called Operation CeCe. In 2023/24, Operation CeCe seized 1.19 million illegal vapes – all before the disposable vape ban.
Profits from the illegal trade of vapes and tobacco often help fund organised crime and drug trafficking. The council says these unregulated products can contain dangerous levels of tar and nicotine, and in some cases have contained arsenic and lead.
In the first instance, Trading Standards will apply civil sanctions (non-criminal penalties) such as a: stop notice, compliance notice, or a fine of £200.
Trading Standards can seize any single-use vapes they find. If traders continue to stock, sell or supply single-use vapes, they can be charged with an unlimited fine or given a prison sentence of up to two years.
Councillor Pritam Grewal, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement at Hounslow Council, said, “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.
“Our Trading Standards team is working tirelessly to protect residents and ensure local businesses trade responsibly. We will continue to take firm action against those who seek to profit at the expense of public health and community safety.”
Investigations into these businesses are ongoing and Hounslow Council says appropriate enforcement action will be considered once enquiries are complete.
Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter