Illegal vape shops caught handing free vapes to children for 'sexual favours' in new grooming epidemic

Trading Standards enforcement officer Richard Timmins told the broadcaster: "I had one the other day, a child as young as 11 purchasing vapes from a shop - it's just disgusting."

His colleague, Kuldeep, said: "We get people behind the counter to empty their pockets.

"We've been in situations where they empty their pockets and they've got reams of condoms.

"I once came across a book and it was written in Kurdish and it was translated and they were learning English words for 'you're pretty', 'I love your hair', 'you're young and beautiful'."

The enforcement team - tasked with shutting down shops selling illegal vapes or age-restricted products to minors - said they took action against a store in the West Midlands last summer after receiving disturbing intelligence.

They said they had received reports that children as young as 12 were being taken by car to unknown locations by men linked to the shop.

The operation the broadcaster joined officers on was not linked to a suspected grooming case, but did reveal concerning ties to organised crime.

In an alleged attempt to evade detection, the shop being shut down had two previous owners - including a man charged with rape and strangulation - with officers suspecting he may still be involved in the business.

The shop had previously been caught selling vapes to children with no questions asked during an undercover sting operation.

As officers closed the premises, a man claiming to be the shop’s third owner, Javid, became embroiled in a heated row with them.

He insisted the previous illegal activity had taken place under the former owner and denied any criminal wrongdoing.

However, Javid was later seen meeting one of the shop’s former owners - a man previously evicted for selling illegal vapes and tobacco.

Mr Timmins said: "It just shows that even though he's been evicted, he will still be the business owner."

The discovery of the link was described as connecting the shop to a man with police markers for sexual offences, violence and firearms - allegations he denies.

Although the shop that was shut down was not suspected of grooming, Trading Standards officials told the broadcaster that vapes were being used to lure vulnerable children.

In November 2025, more than 920 arrests were made during a series of targeted raids on mini-marts, barbers, vape shops and takeaways across Britain, led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The operation also saw more than 340 notices issued by authorities for illegal renting and working.

Nearly 3,000 businesses were visited during the crackdown, with millions of illegal products discovered, large sums of cash seized and 70kg of cannabis recovered.

The NCA estimates that around £12billion in criminal money is generated in Britain every year and funnelled through financial systems to be reinvested in further criminal activity.

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