FEATURE
CLAMPDOWN ON
COUNTERFEITERS
Disposable vape giant GEEK BAR helped close down seven illegal factories , taking 100,000 black market devices – destined for the UK – out of circulation .
Words : Patrick Griffin
One of the great things about the vape industry is that it moves quickly . Product manufacturers are used to rapid innovations , keeping up with technological developments to maintain a competitive advantage .
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 .
Speed is also of the essence when events unfold which can have a potentially disastrous effect 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 .
When GEEK BAR discovered that they were being targeted by counterfeiters they moved fast . The company worked closely with Chinese police to combat some of the 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
112 l VM36