U.S. agents recently confiscated over 1.4 million illegal e-cigarettes, valued at $18 million, from overseas manufacturers at Los Angeles International Airport. The seized products included the popular teen-oriented brand Elf Bar, produced by Chinese company iMiracle Shenzhen. The operation was a joint effort by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Many of the containers were intentionally mislabeled as toys, shoes, and household items to evade customs scrutiny. The FDA intercepted the shipment in July, marking the first publicly reported successful blockage of iMiracle from importing its vapes into the U.S. The confiscated products, which also included brands like Lost Mary, Funky Republic, and EB Create, are expected to be destroyed.
Elf Bar, known for its fruity disposable vapes with flavors like strawberry melon and triple berry ice, has become the top choice among American teens. Despite the FDA’s import ban on some of its products in May, iMiracle rebranded under new names, including EB Design. The products continue to be widely available in convenience stores and vape shops across the U.S.
The seized e-cigarettes were deliberately designed to appeal to youth, prompting FDA’s tobacco chief, Brian King, to issue a warning to those attempting to smuggle such products into the country. Elf Bar, along with thousands of other cheap, disposable e-cigarette brands, has flooded the U.S. market from China in recent years.
In the latest government survey, 56% of teens who vape reported using Elf Bar, more than double the rate of any other e-cigarette brand. The FDA’s continued efforts to curb the availability and appeal of such products highlight the challenges posed by the influx of illicit and youth-targeted e-cigarettes.