The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), announced the seizure of approximately 1.4 million unauthorized e-cigarette products. The total retail value of the seized products is estimated to be over $18 million. The seizure was part of a three-day joint operation that resulted in the seizure of 41 consignments containing illegal e-cigarettes.
The FDA and CBP conducted a joint operation at a cargo inspection location at Los Angeles International Airport, where the team inspected inbound shipments for possible violative items. Once goods are seized by the government, they will be dealt with according to law; for unauthorized new tobacco products, this usually means they will be destroyed.
After inspecting all shipments from China, the team discovered various brands of illegal flavored disposable e-cigarette products. According to recently released 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data, disposable e-cigarettes are the most commonly used type of e-cigarette among young people in the United States, with nearly 90% of current e-cigarette users (89.4%) using flavored e-cigarettes, fruit flavors E-cigarettes are the most popular, followed by candy, desserts or other sweets; mints; and menthol.
To date, the FDA has approved 23 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devices for legal sale in the United States. Distribution and sale of unauthorized new tobacco products are subject to regulatory compliance and enforcement action. As of December 2023, the FDA has issued more than 650 warning letters to companies that manufacture, sell, and distribute new tobacco products that lack FDA marketing authorization, including flavored disposable e-cigarettes and brands popular with young people. The FDA also filed civil penalty lawsuits against 38 e-cigarette manufacturers and 67 retailers, and filed seven permanent injunction lawsuits against companies selling illegal e-cigarettes.
