The San Mateo Police Department seized over 6,000 flavored vape cartridges during a random tobacco compliance check of local businesses yesterday. The significant haul was confiscated from a smoke shop located in San Mateo, California, further emphasizing the ongoing efforts to curtail the distribution of illegal tobacco products in the community, according to their media release.

Officers from the Youth Services Unit discovered an employee at the Magic Theater Smoke Shop, located at 2206 South El Camino Real, selling flavored tobacco products to a customer during the routine check. In response to this violation, the officers seized a total of 6,298 flavored vape cartridges, worth approximately $189,000 from the business.

It is worth noting that the sale of flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, e-liquids, pods, or any other vape device, was banned in California back in November 2022. This decision was solidified by voters through the passing of Senate Bill 793, which sought to address rising concerns over the targeted marketing of flavored tobacco products to youth.

The San Mateo Police Department's investigation is still in progress and coordination with the District Attorney's Office to file charges is ongoing.

Moreover, several resources are available to support individuals attempting to quit or assist others in quitting the use of tobacco, including San Mateo County Health's Help Quitting Tobacco and Ending Youth Access to Tobacco pages. Understanding the dangers of tobacco addiction and the targeted marketing tactics employed by manufacturers of flavored tobacco products is a vital step towards protecting our community's youth and curbing the sale and distribution of these harmful products.