Pam Bondi and RFK Jr. journey to the Chicago suburbs for a crackdown on illicit vape gross sales

BENSENVILLE, Ill. — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have been within the Chicago space Wednesday to announce joint seizure operations of illicit vaping gross sales — a transfer that comes because the White House has been threatening to ship the navy into town.

The operation, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Food and Drug Administration, was executed throughout six states Wednesday morning and focused 5 distributors and 9 retailers with civil enforcement motion.

Bondi and Kennedy have been each current on the web site of the most important seizure in Bensenville, Ill., the place 600,000 models of unlawful product was seized.

The Department of Justice focused the distributors and retailers to halt their alleged distributions of sure vaping merchandise, together with illegally-flavored vapes, THC-infused vapes, and merchandise containing 7-OH, an unlawful compound with opioid-like results derived from kratom crops.

The ATF, along side the U.S. Marshals Service, carried out the raids in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and North Carolina.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the FDA’s ban on the promoting of flavored vapes not permitted by the FDA. The FDA has mentioned flavored vapes pose a well being danger as a result of they might encourage younger folks to make use of tobacco.

In August, Bondi directed the ATF to maneuver ahead with a deliberate operation after Kennedy recognized illicit vaping merchandise shipped into the U.S. from China as a precedence for the well being division.

“It’s clear many of these products are being illegally brought into America. They’re targeting children, young adults, college students and even members of our military,” Bondi mentioned at a press convention Wednesday.

“These illegal and unregulated products are not safe,” she added, and “Chinese companies are making millions off these products.”

“The Department of Justice will use every legal measure to stop” the gross sales, she mentioned.

Kennedy mentioned the packaging of among the merchandise from China was “designed to attract young people” — and that such merchandise are banned in China.

The presence of two Cabinet secretaries at such an operation is uncommon, and it occurred two days after the Department of Homeland Security introduced Immigration and Customs Enforcement was launching “Operation Midway Blitz” within the metropolis, focusing on undocumented immigrants who’ve dedicated crimes.

The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened in latest weeks to ship within the National Guard to fight excessive crime within the metropolis.

Asked about crime within the metropolis, Bondi mentioned, “Chicago is very violent.” “We have a government here that does not want to cooperate with President Trump,” she added.

In a submit on Truth Social final week, President Donald Trump wrote, “Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far.”

On Saturday, he posted what gave the impression to be an AI-created picture of himself in entrance of the Chicago skyline with helicopters, flames and the phrase “Chipocalypse Now.”

“‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” the post mentioned.

He’s additionally delivered combined messaging, saying in a radio interview final week when requested whether or not he was going to deploy the National Guard within the metropolis, “I don’t want to mention when, but it’s going to be happening there.”

At different factors, he is mentioned he’d ship them in if requested to take action by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, each Democrats, say the transfer is neither needed or wanted.

“The president’s absurd characterizations do not match what is happening on the ground here. He has no idea what he’s talking about,” Pritzker instructed reporters final week. “There is not any emergency that warrants deployment of troops,” he mentioned.

Both Pritzker and Johnson have criticized the administration for slashing public safety funding, together with canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in grants.

Statistics present crime has been down in numerous cities, together with Chicago. The most recent statistics, present homicides have dropped 31% from final 12 months, whereas shootings have been down 37.4%.