Federal agents conducted raids across six states to seize illicit vape products, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday.
Bondi and Kennedy said the joint operation was led by the Food and Drug Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The U.S. Marshals Service was also involved in the raids that occurred in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, and North Carolina.
The two Trump administration officials visited the site of the largest seizure in Bensenville, Illinois, where 600,000 units of illicit vape products were seized. The confiscated items, most of which were smuggled from China, were illegally flavored vapes, THC-infused vapes, and 7-OH products.
The raid took place at the Midwest Distribution/Midwest Goods Inc. facility near Chicago on Wednesday morning.
Bondi issued what she called a “last warning” to American retailers selling vapes.
“The Department of Justice will use every legal tool available to stop the distribution of illegal vaping products in America,” she said. “These flavored vaping products are illegal. Don’t let your child say, ‘I walked in a convenience store and bought it, so it’s legal.’ It’s not. The Department of Justice will use every legal tool to stop it.”
Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary first brought the matter to Bondi’s attention in late July. Soon after, the attorney general directed the ATF to carry out the joint seizure operations.
Kennedy disclosed that of the 50 truckloads seized, 90% of the products originated from China. The secretary also explained how China heavily regulates the sale of vape products.
“You will go to jail and worse in China if you try to sell this to Chinese citizens,” he said. “They are 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.”
Kennedy added that the operations send a message to the vape industry: “This will not be tolerated anymore. There’s a new sheriff in town. Her name is Pam Bondi. We are going to target these Chinese vapes and stop them from poisoning our children.”
BONDI SAYS FEDERAL TROOPS WILL GO TO ‘A CITY WHO WANTS US THERE’ RATHER THAN CHICAGO
Vaping has become increasingly popular over the last decade, especially among younger demographics. Young adults between the ages of 21 and 24 were the most likely group to use electronic cigarettes, at 15.5%, in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, the overall percentage of adults using e-cigarettes was 6.5% in 2023.
Bondi and Kennedy’s visit to the Chicago area comes as the Trump administration sent immigration agents to Illinois as part of Operation Midway Blitz to detain illegal immigrants. The immigration operation was launched after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago.
