New York City Mayor Eric Adams last Wednesday said more than 1,200 pounds of illegal vape products were being transported out of New York City to be shipped off for destruction.
The products, seized through the administration’s Operation Padlock to Protect, are being sent to the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) long-term DNA evidence destruction vendor, ENP Environmental, in Grafton, Ohio.
Upon seizure, untaxed and illegally sold tobacco and vape products are subject to forfeiture, and ultimately may be destroyed by the city, the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Through the Operation Padlock to Protect initiative, Adams said “we have already shut down more than 1,200 unlicensed smoke shops, confiscated an estimated $80 million worth of illegal products, and seized thousands of illegal vapes.”
Operation Padlock to Protect conducts joint operations that include inspections and followup inspections in neighborhoods across the five boroughs of New York City.
When illegal stores are ordered to be sealed, officers from local NYPD precincts monitor those locations to ensure compliance and to alert the sheriff’s office when violations of a sealing order occur.
In July 2023, New York City filed a federal lawsuit against several distributors of illegal flavored vapes. In April, the mayor’s office announced a second lawsuit against 11 local wholesalers, which has now been transferred to federal court. Both actions target distributors for their part in the illegal sale of flavored disposable e-cigarettes and both cases are proceeding, the mayor’s office said.
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