Page 17 - Adressing Black-Market Vapor Products: A Toolkit for Law Enforcement and Community Leaders

A C A S E S T U D Y O N S U C C E S S F U L E N F O R C M E N T

R After developing additional evidence, JLI’s Brand
Protection group presented its investigation, including
esponsible manufacturers should play an active role
to support enforcement against bad actors and illicit extensive information on the supplier’s activities and
COLLABORATIVE vapor products to help create a more responsible mar- details on the multiple transactions involving counterfeit

STAKEHOLDER ketplace. This includes proactive enforcement through products, to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s
Counterfeit and Piracy Enforcement (CAPE) Team. The
investigations and legal actions, as well as education,
ENGAGEMENT IN training, and intelligence-sharing with law enforcement CAPE Team agreed to pursue the case and conduct its
authorities. Collaborative stakeholder enforcement is own investigation.
critical to address black markets effectively.
LOS In 2019, the Brand Protection unit from Juul Labs, Inc. Ultimately, the CAPE Team secured a search warrant
against the illicit supplier and ultimately seized hundreds
(JLI) supported a “first-in-the-nation” investigation of the of counterfeit JUUL products. Based on statements from
ANGELES illicit sale and distribution of counterfeit JUUL products in the supplier’s employees, the amount of seized counterfeit
pro-duct was only a fraction of what was intended to be
Los Angeles County, California. As a result, local law
enforcement authorities were able to disrupt and prose- distributed across the country. Criminal charges were
cute the illicit enterprise. brought against both the illicit supplier and employees that
were facilitating the trafficking of black-market vapor
Through a months-long investigation, JLI’s Brand Pro- products.
tection identified a Los Angeles-based distributor that
was trafficking counterfeit JUUL products and offering This collaboration between industry and the Los Angeles
them to unknowing retailers across the country. The County Sheriff’s Department highlights just how vital
team identified the illicit supplier and completed multiple intelligence-sharing and public-private partnerships can be
transactions for products — confirming that they were in to combat black-market products. Not only was this a
fact counterfeit through product identification and testing. victory for enforcement against illicit activity, but this first-
in-the-nation investigation of counterfeit vapor products
also helps protect local communities and U.S. consumers.