Pennsylvania Seizes $1.7 Million in Illegal E-Cigarettes
Credit: Bill Oxford
More than 86,000 unapproved vaping products, worth an estimated $1.72 million, were intercepted on the way to the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
The shipment from China arrived Sept. 18 in the United States, identified as “LED lights” and addressed to a location in Northampton County, officials said.
Instead of lights, the shipment was actually 216 boxes of about 86,000 Alphaa Onee Plus flavored electronic cigarettes. The flavors included mojito, apple blue razz, strawberry milk, energy drink and pomegranate strawberry, according to a story on lehighvalley.com.
CBP officers at the Port of Lehigh Valley in Allentown detained the shipment and contacted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Earlier this month, the FDA examined the e-cigarettes and determined they violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as misbranded consumer goods being imported by an unauthorized agent.
The e-cigarettes will be destroyed.