New York City’s Socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is facing pressure to outline his position and plans on cracking down on illicit Chinese vapes that have flooded the United States, which have sparked widespread concern as the illegal products are being sold inside bodegas throughout the city.
"New York City has always been the capital of the criminal tobacco market and the illicit Chinese vape trade is no exception," former New York City Sheriff Edgar Domenech, who is also a former ATF official who focused on tobacco and related contraband, told Fox News Digital.
"They continue to be sold by smoke shops in every borough and on every corner. The Adams administration made strong strides bringing enforcement action and Mayor-elect Mamdani needs to continue that fight to protect New York's children and defend small businesses. The first step should be fighting for a piece of the $200 million that the FDA has allocated to enforcement and making sure it is used to fund local efforts to combat the illicit market."
For years, federal officials have warned that disposable flavored vapes, overwhelmingly manufactured in China, remain widely available in the U.S. despite a federal ban. But recent stings suggest they are only the visible tip of a much larger criminal operation. Investigators have uncovered that many smoke shops, which often appear to be ordinary convenience stores, are serving as fronts for narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms and extensive money-laundering schemes.
It is unclear how strongly a Mamdani administration will enforce the crackdown on illicit Chinese vapes. Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani transition team for comment.
Congress recently allocated $200 million through the FDA to combat illicit vapes in the United States, funds New York City could presumably use to address the issue.
Mamdani has pledged to cut fees and fines on small businesses by 50% and late in the campaign secured the endorsement of the United Bodegas of America, a group whose member stores have repeatedly been cited for violating federal and state vape bans.