Twenty-four people were arrested and eight tractor-trailer loads of illicit flavored vapes, tobacco and counterfeit merchandise were hauled away as evidence after a sweeping multi-agency operation across a stretch of downtown Los Angeles. Investigators served warrants at 12 business locations in an area running from 3rd Street to Winston Street, between Crocker Street and Los Angeles Street, targeting shops suspected of selling illegal flavored vapes, flavored cigarettes and counterfeit goods.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced the results of the operation in a post from its headquarters account, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
. The operation was carried out by LASD alongside the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, the California Department of Justice, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California Department of Public Health Food and Drug Branch, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Those arrested face potential violations including Los Angeles Municipal Code 46.90.1, Business and Professions Code 22980.2, and Penal Code 350(a)(1), with cases to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office or the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for filing consideration, as appropriate.
Two Dozen Suspects, a Wide Range of Ages
The sheriff's department identified the 24 people arrested, who range in age from 22 to 72. They include Fazal Wajid, 51; Khalaf Elias, 34; Ismail Ebrahim Keekeebhai, 61; Christopher Marquez, 32; Mohamed Munnee, 72; Tony Marquez, 44; Eliot Hernandez-Aranda, 29; Yolanda Perez, 66; Abanoub Malakmatta Ghaly, 33; Youssri Rezk Henein Ayyad, 49; and Jhon Abdelmaseeh Fayez Gerges, 22.
Also arrested were Jaime Alonzo Ruiz, 38; Andres Sanchez, 52; Sajeet Raj Aryal, 35; Abhishek Suwal, 22; Sanjay Makhijani, 59; Scott Matthew Hainlen, 37; Morad Aziz Atalla, 56; Samuel Velasquez, 38; Jhab Fovad Hazdar, 53; Anwar Kamel Bouhadir, 56; Paola Nava, 33; Tarek Eldahouk, 56; and Gustavo Betancourt, 40, according to the sheriff's department's account of the operation.
Sheriff's Office Frames Operation as Ongoing Fight
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna oversees the department that announced the arrests, while Community Partnerships Bureau Captain Tenaya Brown said the operation reflects LASD's continuing commitment to combat unlawful illicit tobacco, flavored vaping products, and counterfeit merchandise. The sheriff's department described the broader investigation as active and ongoing, involving multiple cases and suspects beyond what has already been disclosed.
Anyone with information can contact L.A. Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Part of a Broader Pattern of Raids Across LA County
This is far from the only large seizure LASD has carried out this year targeting counterfeit and illicit tobacco markets. In August, deputies with the department's Community Partnership Bureau Counterfeit and Piracy Enforcement Team, known as CAPE, along with federal special agents, served a search warrant at a commercial warehouse in the 11600 block of Goldring Road in Arcadia, according to Patch. That raid turned up roughly 25,898 counterfeit items, including large quantities of fake Adidas, Nike and other trademarked merchandise, Patch reported.
Over the past year, the same CAPE Team has served about 25 search warrants throughout Los Angeles County and recovered roughly 200,000 counterfeit items valued at between $15 million and $25 million, per the outlet's reporting. A separate downtown Los Angeles raid turned up at least $5 million in fake luxury goods, with two suspects arrested, as reported by CBS News Los Angeles, which described the seized items as including handbags, Hello Kitty toys and clothing. Authorities have not released details about the brands allegedly being counterfeited in yet another downtown raid, nor whether arrests were made there, according to KTLA.
Downtown's Toy District Has Become a Flashpoint
The enforcement activity comes as a five-block section of downtown Los Angeles that used to be part of the city's Toy District has become what KFF Health News describes as ground zero for the nation's counterfeit cannabis trade. That same investigation notes that nearly nine out of 10 e-cigarette users prefer flavored brands, a dynamic that has fueled demand for the illicit products targeted in sweeps like this one.
Despite the enforcement pushes, oversight gaps persist. As of early October 2023, no retailers or individuals in the city of Los Angeles had been prosecuted for violating the state or local flavored-tobacco ban, according to L.A. TACO, which found flavored cigars and wraps still being sold at more than eight smoke shops across Downtown, East Hollywood and Westlake during October visits.
Federal Seizures Point to a National Problem
The scale of the illicit vape trade has also drawn federal action well beyond county lines. Federal agents seized more than $18 million worth of unauthorized e-cigarettes at Los Angeles International Airport, amounting to roughly 1.4 million units and 41 shipments over a three-day crackdown, according to KTLA. The U.S. Department of Justice has separately pursued civil injunctive actions against distributors and retailers nationwide, alleging continued marketing of adulterated and misbranded tobacco products despite FDA warnings.
Counterfeit goods moving through Southern California's ports have also drawn federal prosecutors' attention. Nine people were charged with federal crimes in an alleged scheme to smuggle at least $200 million in counterfeit and illicit goods through the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, with eight arrested, according to the Los Angeles Times. The same report noted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized $1 billion worth of counterfeit products at those ports in 2022 alone, underscoring just how large the underlying black market has grown around the region's illicit vape and counterfeit trade.
