Federal agents seize more than 600,000 illegal vaping products in nationwide operation
Justice Department and HHS tout large seizures as part of intensified effort to curb unauthorized flavored vapes linked to teen use
Federal agents seized more than 600,000 illegal vaping products Wednesday in a nationwide enforcement action officials said was aimed at stemming the flow of unauthorized e-cigarettes often sold in kid-friendly flavors.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Bensenville, Illinois, to announce the seizures and the Justice Department’s broader effort. Officials said the bulk of the products were taken from a distributor outside Chicago, and that agents also confiscated illegal vapes from distributors and retailers in North Carolina, Arizona, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida.
Officials said the seized items included products smuggled into the United States from China. "They’re targeting children, young adults, students and even members of our military," Bondi said at a news conference. "Make no mistake Chinese companies are making billions of dollars off of these products. They’re peddling them into our country." Bondi said the Justice Department would not rule out bringing criminal charges if warranted.
The operation involved agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service, officials said. The Justice Department also filed civil actions Wednesday seeking to halt illegal business practices at five distributors and five retailers. Authorities said the civil filings follow undercover purchases of illegal products that ATF agents made at distributors across the country last month.
Federal officials framed the crackdown as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate thousands of unauthorized vaping products that have entered the U.S. market through under-the-radar importers and distributors. The FDA has been working to remove such products from store shelves and online marketplaces amid concerns about flavors and marketing that appeal to minors.
Vaping among teens surged in 2019, when more than a quarter of adolescents reported daily use, public health data show. Use has declined in recent years, and officials said fewer adolescents reported vaping in 2024 than at any point in the past decade, a trend they attributed in part to more aggressive enforcement against retailers and manufacturers.
Industry groups criticized the enforcement. The Vapor Technology Association said the actions threatened thousands of small businesses, tens of thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue. Association Executive Director Tony Abboud called the seizures "an assault on American workers, small businesses, and the tax base" and urged regulators to reverse course.
Federal officials said the operation is part of a continuing campaign to disrupt the supply chains that bring unauthorized vaping products into the country and to pursue both civil and, where supported by the evidence, criminal remedies. Associated Press journalists Amanda Seitz and Matthew Perrone in Washington contributed to this report.