By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
• 43,200 illicit Kangvape disposable vapes were seized in Chicago after arriving unmanifested from China and lacking FDA authorization.
• Shipment valued at more than $358,000 and allegedly undervalued to evade duties and FDA import requirements.
• CBP says enforcement will continue, noting only 39 e-cigarette products are currently authorized for legal U.S. sale.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Chicago have confiscated over 43,000 illegal disposable vaping devices shipped from China, marking one of the latest major enforcement actions targeting unauthorized electronic nicotine products entering the United States.
CBP officers at the Central Examination Station near Chicago’s international mail facilities announced yesterday that they inspected a freight shipment and discovered 144 cartons containing 43,200 Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) devices. All of these were unmanifested and not properly declared. The shipment was headed to an address in Mississippi.
According to CBP and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the cargo violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because none of the products had FDA marketing authorization, a requirement for any e-cigarette or vaping device legally sold in the U.S. Officers also found that the shipment had been significantly undervalued, a tactic increasingly used to evade duties and FDA import controls.
All seized products were identified as Kangvape Onee Stick disposables—devices that have been widely targeted in recent FDA warning letters, import alerts, and retail enforcement actions. The domestic value of the shipment exceeds $358,000, according to CBP.
The products will be sent to CBP’s Fines, Penalties, and Forfeiture office for final disposition, which usually involves destroying the unauthorized goods.
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for CBP’s Chicago Field Office, stated that officers remain committed to safeguarding consumers from hazardous and illegal imports.
“Our officers are dedicated to identifying and intercepting these types of shipments which could potentially harm the health and wellbeing of people within our communities,” Sutton-Burke said. “We will continue to work with our consumer product safety partners to identify and seize unsafe and illicit goods.”
The FDA currently authorizes only 39 e-cigarette products and devices for legal marketing in the United States, all tobacco-flavored and produced by a small number of approved companies. Any ENDS product not listed in the FDA’s Searchable Tobacco Products Database is considered illegal to sell, distribute, or import.
