Feds, ‘new sheriff’ descend on Chicago suburb, seize illegal vaping items

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Federal authorities say they are just getting started after announcing in Illinois that they have seized millions of illegal vaping products.

The raid across several states led to the seizure of $87.5 million worth of e-cigarette items.

Speaking outside Midwest Goods in the Chicago suburb of Bensenville, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said many of the illicit products are being brought into the country illegally.

“They’re targeting children, young adults, college students and even members of our military,” Bondi said.

Bondi said retailers selling the items are often near schools and military bases.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the products are illegal in China.

“They’re making products there that they believe are so dangerous they can’t sell to their own citizens, and they’re dumping them here in our country. The Chinese are getting richer while our children get sicker,” Kennedy said.

The HHS secretary said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Food and Drug Administration confiscated 50 truckloads of material, and 90% of it came from China.

“These kind of operations we’re doing to target the biggest distributors and also to send a message throughout this entire industry, that this will not be tolerated any more, that there’s a new sheriff in town. Her name is Pam Bondi,” Kennedy said.

Bondi said many of the illegal products were laced with chemicals or the cannabinoid known as THC, which is found in marijuana.

“Let this be a clear message to the retailers and the distributors pushing these illicit vaping products on our kids and on our families. This ends today. This is your final warning,” Bondi said.

Bondi and Kennedy displayed several flavored vaping products they said were illegal, including watermelon and piña colada-flavored items.

Bondi said the Trump administration was acting now, before Chinese producers could lace the vaping products with fentanyl. She said only the tobacco, cinnamon and menthol-flavored vaping products are legal in the U.S.

FDA Commissioner Martin Makary said there are no FDA-approved “fruity-flavor” or video game vape products.

ATF Deputy Director Robert Cekada said this is just the start of the federal government’s activities to prevent illegal vaping products from further infiltrating communities around the country.

Brett Rowland contributed to this story.