CBP Officers In Cincinnati Seize Over 72K Counterfeit Pod Packets

This incident happened on Thursday, March 12.

(Cincinnati, Oh.) - U.S. Customs and Border Protections officers in Cincinnati continue to work to stop illegal vaping products from entering the U.S.

On Tuesday, March 17, the CBP seized a shipment arriving from Hong Kong and heading to Georgia finding 72,500 counterfeit disposable flavored pod packets. 

The shipment contained 153 cartons containing the Pop Blue Razz Disposable Vaping devices. If real, the pods were valued at $1,147,500.

As respiratory illnesses and deaths related to vaping continue to worsen, the United States Food and Drug Administration remains concerned.

Pods in U.S. are produced in regulated facilities, and the manufacturing process and ingredients are regulated by the U.S. government. This is a sharp contrast to counterfeit products made overseas, which is why CBP takes intellectual property rights enforcement very seriously.

The potential health and safety threats of counterfeit goods, like electronic nicotine products, present great danger to American consumers. 

“Consumer health and safety are our key concerns when Customs and Border Protection officers enforce intellectual property rights laws,” said Richard Gillespie, Cincinnati’s Port Director. “Counterfeit products that you inhale or ingest could seriously hurt you. They are manufactured in unregulated and unsanitary facilities with ingredients that you cannot be sure are authentic.”

About $3.7 million in counterfeit consumer goods are seized by Customs and Border Protection officers across the country every day.