CNN

Federal agents raid vape retailers and distributors across the US

By CNN

Published September 10, 2025 6:28 pm

WBBM, CNN

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

Bensenville, Illinois (CNN) — Federal agents raided vape retailers and distributors nationwide Wednesday, seizing over $86 million worth of illegal vapes the Justice Department says are targeted to children or members of the military.

“The Department of Justice today is conducting a nationwide operation today to remove illicit vaping products that are being strategically distributed and sold at retailers across the country,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a press conference Wednesday.

The seizures, done in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration, were carried out at five distributors and five retailers in North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida, she said.

The federal government has warned the public about the risks of illegal vaping products, many of which are smuggled into the United States from China. Those products frequently come in bright colors and sweet flavors, making them particularly attractive to kids.

Smuggling the vapes through China makes it easier for producers to circumvent US regulations, and the vapes often contain staggering levels of nicotine, metals and untested chemicals that fail to meet the FDA’s safety standards, Bondi said, exposing Americans to “serious health risks.” The vapes also do not abide by US regulations for properly labeling and marketing a product.

“The Trump administration will not let the American people suffer the consequences of dangerous chemicals being pushed into our communities by Chinese companies and manufacturers,” Bondi said.

For years, the FDA has tried to block the vapes from being sold, sending warning letters to popular disposable vape brands and working with law enforcement to stop the illegal products from coming across the border. Bondi and Director of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that they plan to increase enforcement efforts going forward, including by pulling illegal products off the shelves.

Before the raids Wednesday, Bondi said, the FDA conducted inspections of five distributors and undercover ATF agents purchased the illicit products at nine different stores. Though not all the stores were part of Wednesday’s raid, the Justice Department filed civil forfeiture complaints in court against all 14 places.

Agents seized at least 600 thousand vaping products – a retail value of over $14 million – at one of those distributors run out of a warehouse outside of Chicago that is less than five miles away from a high school, a junior high school and an elementary school, and less than eight miles from a military facility, a DOJ official said.

Among the products seized was one vape called “Sad Boy” with the flavor “funnel cake.” Another was called “Pillow talk ice control” in the flavor “purple galaxy.”

Bondi warned that the only legal flavors are tobacco, menthol and cinnamon. “So many thought that these were legal,” Bondi said of other flavors. “They are not.”