Vapes are increasingly used by predators to entice and groom children into criminal or sexual activity. Vape shops are a new frontline in the fight against child exploitation, with police and safeguarding professionals expressing deep concern. Girls Out Loud, a charity, has seen a notable rise in children being groomed or coerced by vape shop operators who entice them through their doors by offering free samples.
A mother named Sarah reported her daughter Emily was groomed at age 14 by vape shop owner Iqbal Singh, who gifted her countless vapes. A senior council worker repeatedly shared reports with West Midlands authorities of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts over the past 10 years. Intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 claim children may have been at risk of sexual abuse after being offered drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes in mini-marts.
West Midlands Police initially said there was no evidence to substantiate claims of child sexual exploitation connected to shops in Dudley, but later issued an updated statement without that denial after further evidence was presented. Concerns over child abuse on high streets in the West Midlands were repeatedly shared in briefings with a child sexual exploitation safeguarding group between 2016 and 2025. In June 2024, a report was shared of an attempt to lure a child to a flat after being given free cigarettes.
A particular shop operated by an organized crime group was targeting young women between 2016 and 2017. West Midlands Police itself said it was possible that high street shops in Lye were engaged in child sexual exploitation in 2019 and requested help from Trading Standards. Paedophile gangs are brazenly grooming children in vape shops on Britain’s high streets, ministers have been warned.
Matt Vickers warned perverts are giving youngsters e-cigarettes for free if they perform sexual favours. Matt Vickers warned many dodgy shops are being run by organized criminal networks who are preying on our children. Investigators found, during raids at vape shops, evidence of workers practising English to groom children.
Officers in Dudley received reports that men linked to one shop were taking 12-year-old customers to unknown locations, prompting fears of abuse. Senior politicians have called for an urgent and thorough investigation into alleged child sexual exploitation linked to high streets in the West Midlands. The government said it was incredibly concerned after the BBC revealed reports of children as young as 11 at risk of sexual abuse at mini-marts and vape shops.
West Midlands Police said it had reviewed all information and was satisfied this has been actioned appropriately. A woman who worked at a mini-mart in the West Midlands said she was sexually assaulted by a shop worker after the Covid-19 pandemic. Underage consumers are easily accessing age-restricted products and services on the high street including nicotine vapes and cosmetic surgery.
Teenagers aged 14 to 17 routinely purchase vapes without being asked to show ID, with five out of eight shops selling to them in an undercover test. A 17-year-old girl was able to book a lip filler appointment without being asked for ID. Spending on trading standards services has been cut by more than 50% over the past decade, and staffing levels have fallen by 30%.
36 out of 187 Trading Standards teams reported no criminal prosecutions in 2023-24, with 25 reporting only one. Between 2019 and 2020, the child sexual exploitation group discussed high street shops in Lye as a hot spot for abuse where a few children were mentioned being exploited. Trading Standards officers have received complaints that vapes and illegal goods are given free to children in return for sexual favors.
Shops are illegally selling vapes to children as young as 11. Over the past year, nearly 40 rogue vape shops and mini-marts have been shut down, many believed to be run by organized criminal networks. Shop workers from countries including Kurdistan and Afghanistan have been found with reams of condoms and books with English phrases like 'you're pretty'.
A previous shop owner charged with rape and strangulation, which he denies, has police warning markers linking him to firearms. Criminals use vapes, food, money, drugs, alcohol, or gifts to target children for exploitation, including in exchange for sexual favors. A 14-year-old girl in Wales was supplied with free vapes and occasionally alcohol in exchange for sexual favors by a convenience store owner, who also offered drugs and money.
The same shop in Wales regularly sold or gave vapes to children as young as 11, and young people accessed a flat above the store after hours. An enforcement team from Dudley has discovered links to organized crime and signs of child exploitation, including illegal sale of vapes to children as young as 11.