MINNESOTA BORDER AGENTS SEIZE 100,000 ILLEGAL E-CIGARETTES FROM CHINA . (PHOTO).

 Minnesota border agents seize 100,000 illegal e-cigarettes from China 

U.S. border agents in Minnesota seized a shipment containing more than 100,000 illegal e-cigarette products from China, valued at roughly $1.47 million, that was headed to a California nicotine wholesaler.

Customs and Border Protection officers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area intercepted the pallets, which included around 90,000 illicit Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and 75,000 refill cartridges. Officials said the products violated federal law under the FDA’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act due to a lack of required marketing authorization, and were deemed “adulterated” and “misbranded.”

The shipment included popular vaping flavors such as Blue Razz, Iced Lush, Blue Lightning, Gum Mint, Turkish Tobacco, and Classic Tobacco. LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, field operations director at CBP’s Chicago office, credited intelligence sharing for helping officers identify and stop the illegal shipment, emphasizing the potential risks these products pose to public health.

Federal authorities noted the seizure is part of ongoing efforts to combat illicit e-cigarette trafficking. Last month, officials conducted their largest sting to date, confiscating nearly $90 million in illegal vaping products, and joint operations with the FDA have resulted in more than 2 million units seized from distributors and retailers across seven states. Sutton-Burke said CBP will continue working with consumer product safety partners to identify and remove unsafe and illicit goods from U.S. markets.