Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is waging war on vape shops peddling poison to kids.
The 37-year-old just orchestrated the biggest illegal vape bust in state history.
And Florida’s AG just shut down 2,000+ vape dealers with one coordinated crackdown.
State Vape Task Force confiscates over 2,000 contraband devices targeting children
Attorney General Uthmeier's statewide Vape Task Force hit four counties simultaneously and confiscated 2,183 illegal vapes designed to lure children.
Clermont authorities seized 263 contraband vapes while Ocoee netted 636 devices.
Okaloosa County came away with 855 illegal products and Milton confiscated 423.
But the haul didn't stop at vapes.
Officers discovered vape shops moonlighting as drug dens, with one store in Okaloosa County caught selling 195 nitrous oxide canisters.
Deputies arrested Golam Farooque, owner of Unique Vape and Cigar, on eight felony counts of illegal sale of nitrous oxide.
Authorities also seized 50 nitrous oxide chargers — street name "crackers" — along with balloons used for inhalation.
"These businesses are knowingly selling illegal products that are designed to attract children and evade Florida law," Uthmeier declared.
"This record-breaking seizure sends a clear message: if you profit off addiction, deception, and dangerous substances, we will find you and shut you down," Uthmeier added.
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The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducted regulatory sweeps that pulled thousands more illegal products from shelves.
Inspectors removed 2,054 packages from six stores in Clermont.
Ocoee proved even worse, with authorities yanking 6,181 packages from eight stores.
The violations read like a catalog of deliberate attempts to hook children: cartoons plastered on packaging, video games built into devices, candy flavors, and bright colors targeting youth.
Vape shops caught selling controlled substances and drug paraphernalia
The crackdown exposed how vape shops have become fronts for selling far more dangerous substances than nicotine.
Authorities found products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine — a compound Florida reclassified as a Schedule I drug last August.
Inspectors also discovered tianeptine and hemp extracts with THC concentrations exceeding legal limits by more than 20 times.
Some confiscated hemp products tested at 7 percent THC — the legal limit is 0.3 percent.
Nitrous oxide sales turned out to be surprisingly common across the busted shops.
Florida law makes it a third-degree felony to sell more than 16 grams of nitrous oxide for recreational use.
That carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The dealers weren't subtle about their real business model.
Stores stocked "crackers" specifically designed to puncture nitrous oxide canisters so users could inhale the gas from balloons.
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Melanie S. Griffin praised the multi-agency effort.
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"Working alongside the Office of the Attorney General, FDLE, FDACS, and our local law enforcement partners, DBPR is taking decisive action to hold bad actors accountable," Griffin stated.
Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson emphasized the threat these products pose.
"These illegal products threaten public health, undermine legitimate businesses, and too often are designed to target children," the former Senate President explained.
Uthmeier launched the crackdown using funds from a $79 million settlement Florida extracted from JUUL Labs in March 2025.
The Attorney General created the Vape Free Florida Fund from that settlement specifically to finance enforcement of nicotine and vapor laws.
Florida maintains a Nicotine Dispensing Device Directory listing over 640 products "attractive to minors."
The registry went live January 1, 2025, and gave retailers 60 days to clear banned products from inventory.
After that grace period expired March 1, manufacturers face $1,000 daily fines per product still sold in Florida.
Retailers, wholesalers, and distributors shipping banned products into the state face identical penalties.
This systematic approach lets Florida target the entire supply chain rather than just retail-level enforcement.
Sources:
- Florida Attorney General's Office, "Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces Largest Seizure of Illegal Vapes in Florida History," My Florida Legal, February 6, 2026.
- Florida Politics, "Florida completes biggest sweep of illegal vapes in state history," FloridaPolitics.com, February 7, 2026.
- WFLA News, "Joint operation leads to largest seizure of illegal vapes in Florida history," WFLA.com, February 6, 2026.
- WEAR-TV, "Florida AG announces 'largest seizure of illegal vapes' in West Florida, Panhandle history," WEARTV.com, February 6, 2026.
