A Crime Stoppers International campaign

Unchecked.
Unregistered.
Untaxed.

Black market nicotine products are flooding into Europe. The same criminals behind them traffic fake medicine, drugs and weapons. Your local community pays the price.

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The story

Three boxes nobody ticked. One you can.

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Black market nicotine products are flooding into Europe.

The same criminals behind them traffic fake medicine, drugs and weapons.

Your local community pays the price.

Criminal networks are cashing in.

It’s just a vape. It’s just a pouch. That is exactly what the criminals selling them want you to think. But behind these unregistered factories, underground supply lines and street corner sellers, organised crime is cashing in.

Criminal gangs get the money. Consumers lose protections. Communities miss out on tax revenues.

Europe’s illegal nicotine market is booming. Nearly half of all vapes sold consist of non-compliant or irregular products. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) calls this “a serious and growing threat to public health and public finance”.

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☐Unchecked

Unchecked. It crossed multiple borders. Nobody opened the container.

Unchecked. Sold to a 14-year-old. Nobody asked for ID.

Every check avoided.

A legal nicotine product is registered, declared at the border and should only be sold to adults. An illegal one avoids every one of those checks. They’re often hidden among other goods and mis-declared. The criminals behind them traffic counterfeit goods, drugs and weapons.

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☐Unregistered

Unregistered. Nobody knows what’s inside.

Unregistered. No accountability. No traceability.

No rules. No safeguards.

Criminals trafficking illegal vapes and nicotine pouches don’t care about rules designed to protect consumers.

The consequences are already playing out. Illegal products are in local communities. Underground factories are present in more European countries than ever before.

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☐Untaxed

Untaxed. Criminals get the money. Communities get nothing.

Untaxed. The shop that follows the rules loses the sale.

Criminals cash in. Communities lose out.

Every legal sale contributes taxes that fund public services. Illegal nicotine products contribute nothing to the community. Criminal smugglers and unscrupulous retailers cash in. Law-abiding shopkeepers lose out.

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☑Reported

Reported. The one box you can tick.

Report it anonymously.

REPORT IT ANONYMOUSLY

Law enforcement depends on information.

Crime Stoppers International gives anyone a safe way to report information.

We never ask for your name or any personal details.

Trained Crime Stoppers staff check every report and remove anything that could identify you. We do not record the language your report was written in.

If you do include personal details, they are deleted before your report reaches the authorities.

Your device's IP address is overwritten and masked. It can never be traced.

REPORT IT ANONYMOUSLY
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How to spot it

How to spot illegal nicotine products

Ten signs that a vape, pouch or tobacco product has skipped every check meant to protect you.

Missing health warnings

Health warnings are missing or unusually small.

Print mistakes

Spelling errors, incorrect logos, or inconsistent fonts.

No age verification

The seller does not check the buyer's age before the sale.

Foreign language labels

Ingredients or safety warnings are not in an official language of your country.

Unofficial sellers

Sold through social media dealers or street sellers.

Suspiciously low prices

Significantly cheaper than comparable products.

No tax marking

Does not display a ‘tax-paid’ indicator.

Missing product information

No manufacturer details or production information.

Damaged or tampered packaging

Packaging appears opened, damaged or lacks a proper tamper-seal.

No receipt provided

The seller cannot provide a proof of purchase.

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