Dutch inspectors seize 220,000 illegal vapes in a week

The food and consumer safety board NVWA has seized nearly 220,000 illegal vapes and more than 50,000 boxes of nicotine pouches in the space of a week, in two separate finds in South Holland and North Brabant.

Inspectors found the first haul on 6 May at a business in ‘s-Gravendeel, during a joint check run by Hoeksche Waard council with police, customs and other agencies. Three shipping containers held 151,400 flavoured vapes and 49,400 boxes of nicotine pouches.

On 12 May, acting on a tip, inspectors also found a further 66,720 vapes and 2,640 boxes of nicotine pouches in a storage unit in North Brabant.

Flavoured vapes have been banned in the Netherlands since January 2024 and nicotine pouches since January 2025, but both remain widely available through shops and online dealers. The seized products will be destroyed at the owners’ expense.

The black market is substantial. A health ministry study in April found that (almost nine in ten people) who vape in the Netherlands use products that are either illegal or sold through illegal channels.

A separate RTL investigation the same month found 244 outlets had carried on selling illegal vapes despite repeated fines, with one shopkeeper penalised 14 times.

Health minister Sophie Hermans has already announced a package of tougher enforcement measures, including a planned law making it illegal to hold illegal vapes in stock.