Dec. 16 (UPI) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Chicago made 121 seizures over the past year, containing more than 3.2 million banned Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems worth more than $81.5 million.
Most of the shipments, which violated the FDA’s Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, came from China and were heading to locations across the United States. Other violations included intellectual property rights because they used unauthorized trademarks associated with pop icons in order to target teens and younger adults.
“It is common for bad actors to use popular people and brands to promote their products. In a couple of these instances, they used the name of an influencer with a large following specifically targeting the younger audience,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of field operations at Chicago Field Office.
Customs and Border Patrol also seized products that lacked the required FDA marketing authorization. Vapes, e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems that are not approved by the FDA may contain higher levels of nicotine and other unknown, toxic chemicals.
“Criminals are using every means imaginable to expand the reach of their illicit enterprises,” said Mike Pfeiffer, Chicago Area Port Director. “The sales from illegal goods are used to fuel further criminal activities such as the trafficking of drugs, defrauding innocent people and purchases of illegal weapons.”
Customs and Border Patrol seizes millions of counterfeit goods from countries around the world to protect U.S. businesses and consumers. The fake versions include smartphones, electronics, apparel, shoes, luxury goods and cosmetics. Other items that do not meet U.S. safety standards include bicycle helmets, medical devices and supplements.
“CBP’s trade enforcement mission places a significant emphasis on intercepting illicit products that could harm American consumers,” according to Sutton-Burke. “We will continue to work with our consumer product safety partners to identify and seize unsafe and unlawful goods.”
