LOS ANGELES, CA – Deputies arrested 24 people suspected of selling illegal vape products Thursday during a multi-agency raid in downtown Los Angeles’ Toy District, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies served search warrants on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 12 businesses from 3rd Street to Winston Street, between Crocker and Los Angeles streets. The department said deputies seized eight tractor-trailer loads of illicit flavored vapes, flavored tobacco products and counterfeit merchandise.
The warrants targeted businesses suspected of selling illicit flavored vaping products, flavored tobacco products and counterfeit goods, the department said.
Warrants served at 12 businesses
The operation covered a stretch of the Toy District, a wholesale area of downtown Los Angeles. Deputies served the warrants at 12 separate businesses within the area bounded by 3rd Street and Winston Street, between Crocker Street and Los Angeles Street.
The Sheriff’s Department said the 24 people were arrested during the operation. The department had not released the names of those arrested.
Eight tractor-trailer loads seized
Deputies seized eight tractor-trailer loads of illicit products, according to the department. The seized items included flavored vapes, flavored tobacco products and counterfeit merchandise.
The department did not say how many items were in each load or what the products were worth.
Arrests on suspicion of tobacco and trademark offenses
The department said the suspects were arrested on suspicion of the prohibited sale of flavored tobacco and of selling or gifting cigarettes or tobacco products without a valid license.
Arrests were also made on suspicion of counterfeit-trademark offenses. The department described these as willfully manufacturing, intentionally selling or knowingly possessing for sale counterfeit trademarks registered with the California Secretary of State or the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal court process.
Seven agencies took part
The Sheriff’s Department led the operation with help from the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Department of Justice and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. The California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch and U.S. Customs and Border Protection also took part.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office were also part of the operation, according to the department.
How California treats flavored tobacco
Under state rules, a product’s presence on a state list determines whether it can be sold. The Attorney General published the first Unflavored Tobacco List on Dec. 31, 2025, naming the unflavored tobacco products that are lawful for sale. Under that framework, “any covered tobacco product not appearing on the UTL is deemed a flavored tobacco product and ineligible for sale.”
The state tax agency also removes illicit products from stores. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration says it protects the state’s legal marketplace by investigating fraud and tax evasion and removing illicit cannabis and tobacco products from retailers. The agency has seized more than $168 million in illicit cannabis and tobacco products statewide since 2019, including nearly $22 million in the first half of 2026, according to a state announcement issued Aug. 5.
Counterfeit goods and the Sheriff’s Department
The Sheriff’s Department has a unit that handles this kind of case. Its Counterfeit and Piracy Enforcement Team is made up of deputies, a sergeant and a lieutenant. The department says that within Los Angeles County it enforces trademarks to “protect against Intellectual Property theft and ensure the health and safety of consumers.”
Anyone with information about illicit or counterfeit products is asked to call the Sheriff’s Community Partnerships Bureau at 323-981-5300. The department also lists Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) for tips about counterfeit goods.
Prosecutors to consider filing decisions
The department said arrest information will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office or the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Charges had not been announced as of Tuesday, Oct. 27.
