The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the seizure of nearly two million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products in Chicago, with an estimated retail value of $33.8 million. The seizures, which occurred in February of this year in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), were part of a joint federal operation to examine incoming shipments and prevent illegal e-cigarettes from entering the country.

During this operation, the team uncovered shipments of various illegal e-cigarette products, almost all of which originated in China and were intended for shipment to various U.S. states. FDA and CBP personnel determined that, in an apparent attempt to evade duties and the review of products for import safety concerns, many of these unauthorized e-cigarette shipments contained vague product descriptions with incorrect values. Upon examining shipments, the team found several brands of unauthorized e-cigarettes, including Snoopy Smoke, Raz and others.

“The FDA, working with our federal partners, can and will do more to stop the illegal importation and distribution of e-cigarette products in the United States,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Seizures of illegal e-cigarettes keep products that haven’t been authorized by the FDA out of the United States and out of the hands of our nation’s youth.”

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