Disposable vape giant Geek Bar helped close down seven illegal factories, taking 100,000 black market devices – destined for the UK – out of circulation.
“We will not stand by as our reputation for producing high quality disposable vape products for adult smokers is being damaged by those involved in illegal trading.”
One of the great things about the vape industry is that it moves quickly.
Product manufacturers are used to rapid innovations to keep up with technological developments and to maintain a competitive advantage.
Speed is also of the essence when events unfold which can have a potentially disastrous effects on how the industry is perceived by lawmakers and regulators.
In the news section of this issue, we report on a flood of illegal super-strength devices being sold online and in some convenience stores in the UK.
Geek Bar disposables, intended for the US market where permitted nicotine strengths are much higher than in the UK and Europe, are among the most popular of the illegal products.
There is also a huge black market in counterfeit products, which are now being manufactured on an industrial scale.
The company worked closely with Chinese police to combat some big players making fake, and potentially dangerous products, which were passed off as genuine Geek Bar devices.
Seven illegal factories were raided by police and shut down with their entire stock of knock-off products confiscated.
Several arrests were made and those responsible for the counterfeiting operations face at least three years in prison if found guilty.
More than 100,000 counterfeit vapes, destined for the UK market, were also intercepted and destroyed.
Geek Bar is now working with UK partners and regulators, so that even more fake products can be uncovered and seized by law enforcement agencies.
Allen Yang, Chief Executive at Geek Bar, said: “The UK is our biggest market. We will not stand by as our reputation for producing high quality disposable vape products for adult smokers is being damaged by those involved in illegal trading.”
The company is also working with regulators to prevent distributors and retailers selling products – including the Geek Bar Pro – which are illegal in the UK.
It said it will report any distributors or retailers to the relevant authorities if they were found to be supplying or selling non-compliant products.
Yang added: “We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to safeguard our customers from these counterfeit and non-compliant products.
“The scale of fake products is extremely concerning especially given the possible dangers from unregulated e-liquid components and inferior batteries.
He added: “I hope this sends a clear message to those attempting to manufacture fake products or bring non-compliant ranges into the UK…that their illegal activities will not be tolerated.”
“We are determined to ensure that our customers are safely protected from this illegal trade.”