The US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham, announced on November 24 that a Garland vape shop owner has pleaded guilty to importing counterfeit vaping products.
Muhammad Khalid Uzair Khalid, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking counterfeit goods. According to CBS 11 News, Khalid admitted that he illegally imported counterfeit vaping-related items from China between October 2017 and November 2017.
The products included counterfeit vape pens and vape-related labels, boxes, and bags.
Law enforcement agents raided Khalid’s shop in November 2019 as part of a joint investigation into E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury. The CDC, the FDA, state and local health departments, and other clinical and health partners were all involved in the investigation.
Health authorities revealed that using products containing vitamin E acetate and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the active substances present in cannabis, could result in lung damage.
Meacham said the joint investigation made it clear that law enforcement agencies needed to take “swift action against counterfeit vaping-related items.”
He also added that the justice department will not tolerate the importation of any counterfeit or black market goods.
Khalid admitted that he regularly communicates with Chinese manufactures about the production, sales, and importations of counterfeit products.
Khalid and the manufacturers also discussed ways to imitate the branding and logos of popular American vape companies. The 36-year-old sold the counterfeit products at his Garland store.
Law enforcement agents found several items that tested positive for THC and an injector mechanism with an amber substance containing vitamin E acetate at Khalid’s store.