TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Usmeyer on Thursday announced what authorities have announced as the largest seizure of illegal and contraband e-cigarette products in state history, following a series of coordinated enforcement actions conducted by a statewide e-cigarette task force.
This joint operation involved the Attorney General’s Enforcement Division, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and multiple local law enforcement agencies. Authorities targeted a vape shop accused of illegally selling products that posed a danger to children and consumers, in violation of Florida law.
Usmayer said the seizure is a strong warning to retailers profiting from illegal nicotine products sold to minors or designed to circumvent state regulations. State Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson added that such products threaten public health and undermine legitimate business, and emphasized continued enforcement efforts to remove them from store shelves.
Law enforcement partners participating in four task force operations seized 2,183 illegal e-cigarettes, along with nitrous oxide canisters, chargers, and related paraphernalia. The devices seized included 263 in Clermont, 636 in Ocoee, 855 in Okaloosa County and 423 in Milton.
Officers also seized 195 nitrous oxide containers from a business during a compliance inspection, as well as additional containers, chargers, commonly known as “crackers,” and balloons used for inhalation. The store’s owner was arrested on multiple felonies related to the illegal sale of nitrous oxide, which is classified as drug paraphernalia under Florida law.
Regulatory inspections by FDACS removed thousands more illegal products from stores in Clermont and Ocoee, with totals from other enforcement locations still being finalized. Officials said violations include improper labeling, lack of child-safe packaging, illegal marketing practices, and packaging and branding designed to appeal to children.
The agency also cited references to illegal substances and the presence of regulated or prohibited compounds such as 7-hydroxymitragynine, tianeptine, and hemp extract that exceed the legal THC limit as reasons for removing the product from sale.
State and local leaders said this coordinated enforcement effort reflects a continued commitment to protect communities, especially minors, from dangerous or illegal e-cigarette and inhalation products. Investigations and testing remain active throughout the state.
Usmeyer’s office noted that the Vape Free Florida Fund, created in 2025 following a $79 million settlement with JUUL Labs, is intended to help enforce the state’s nicotine and vapor laws and keep harmful products out of the hands of children.
