Attorney General Alan Wilson continues work to stop illegal Chinese vapes

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson is joining a 13-state coalition in a letter asking major credit card networks to stop the sale of illicit e-cigarette products.

These products account for almost all the U.S. e-cigarette market, with $11 billion generated in annual retail sales. This makes up more than 80% of all e-cigarette sales nationwide.

Only 41 e-cigarette products have been authorized for legal sale in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration. However, thousands of unauthorized brands continue to use platforms like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover to facilitate illegal transactions.

“These products are deliberately designed and packaged to appeal to children,” Attorney General Wilson stated. “It is clear that Chinese networks, Mexican drug cartels, and other criminal organizations are targeting our nation’s young people.”

The states argue that payment platforms must be more aggressive in identifying and removing merchants engaging in the sale of these illegal e-cigarettes. They also argue that the sale of these products already violates card network rules regarding illegal transactions, high-risk merchant categories, and brand protection.

“As Attorney General, I’ve taken action against these illegal products in South Carolina,” Attorney General Wilson said. “We’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our children, communities, and way of life from foreign groups seeking to destroy them.”

In addition to South Carolina, attorneys general from the following states joined the Iowa-led letter: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

You can read the letter here.