Dutch product safety watchdog NVWA and customs officials seized a record haul of 80,000 illegal vapes at a storage unit near Schiphol airport earlier this week.

The Chinese-made vapes contained flavourings such as watermelon and kiwi, which have been illegal in the Netherlands since the beginning of 2024.

The haul represented a value of some hundreds of thousands of euros, customs officials said, and indications were the vapes were meant for the Dutch market.

In May, the NVWA seized 70,000 vape refills, also containing illegal flavourings, from the same importer. No fine can be issued for the illegal vapes because they were intercepted before they could be sold, the NVWA said. The company will be liable for the cost of destroying the vapes.

Caretaker junior health minister Vincent Karremans launched an anti-vaping campaign in May, including an action plan aimed at discouraging teens from taking up the habit, helping them to stop, and combating the trade in illegal vapes.

Doctors confronted with teens with serious lung conditions have long warned against the dangers of vaping, which include collapsed lungs, COPD and cancer.  RTL reported in May that at least five youngsters have nearly died as a result of vaping in the Netherlands