In a joint effort, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Customs and Border Protection (CPB) have successfully seized over $18 million worth of unauthorized e-cigarettes, including popular brands such as Elf Bar. This operation, conducted at a cargo examination site at Los Angeles International Airport, marks a strategic move by the FDA to curb the influx of illegal e-cigarettes into the United States.
The seized items, totaling about 1.4 million units, were intentionally mis-declared as toys or shoes, with incorrect values listed, highlighting the clandestine nature of the smuggling attempt, FDA stated.
Elf Bar, a widely used e-cigarette brand among the youth, was among the confiscated products. According to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, Elf Bar ranked as the most commonly used e-cigarette brand in this demographic. Other brands seized in the operation included EB Create, Lost Mary, Funky Republic, RELX Pod, and IPLAY Max.
This intervention by the FDA and CPB underscores the ongoing efforts to regulate and combat the illegal trade of e-cigarettes, especially those targeting younger consumers. The deliberate mislabeling of these products as innocent items like toys or shoes raises concerns about the tactics employed by illicit e-cigarette traffickers.
In a related development, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated for governments to implement tobacco-style controls and outright bans on all flavors of e-cigarettes or vapes. This call for stricter regulations aligns with the global concern over the rising popularity of newer nicotine products, with major tobacco companies like Philip Morris International, Altria Group, and British American Tobacco investing in the growing demand for these alternatives.
