Rich Marianos, former U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Assistant Director, discussed a recent $200 million approval by Congress to the Food and Drug Administration in an effort to crack down on Chinese-made illicit cigarettes, and its impact on the Sunshine State, in an exclusive interview with The Floridian.
The approval, made on Nov. 12, was part of the Continuing Resolution that ended the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. Led by the Trump administration, Florida has prioritized crushing the illegal vape market with various raids at shops across the state, which might only pick up with the new allocation.
"It's a great move forward by the federal government, because it demonstrates a commitment, and that's what has been lacking in this arena for several years," Marianos said. "The difficult part is we have to make sure that that money gets distributed to those on the ground who are using it in their law enforcement strategy."
Vaping has become popular among college students and young adults in Florida, including in popular leisure areas of South Florida. The hook has also created more and more vape stores, which Marianos referred to as the new crack houses.
"They're selling all kinds of synthetic narcotics that are non-regulated, that people have no idea what's in them," Marianos said. "Anybody can just go in and buy some stuff and give it a shot without any regulation, with almost impunity. It's hurting everybody, from our kids all the way up to the distributors that are trying to do things right."
Marianos emphasized that the illicit products, not to be confused with regulated vape products, have boosted Chinese suppliers by 2.4 billion. Moreover, he noted the illicit string makes up a whopping 86% of the illegal market, making law enforcement's crackdown here in Florida even more paramount moving forward.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently announced a successful crackdown on illegal vape substances in September. The week-long sting, dubbed Operation Vape Trail, resulted in more than 2.3 million vape devices and cartridges and 100 weapons being confiscated.
Marianos also added that 86 million dollars of illicit Chinese products were recently taken off the streets of Chicago. Along with enforcement, Marianos has helped get a foothold on the problem here in the state through the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network, which he organizes, in coordination with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) of South Florida.
He also stressed the growing problem here at home, noting vape shops were popping up "consistently and constantly" across the state. Marianos added that the products in the stores were also being conveniently targeted to susceptible youth with different cartoon characters and fancy coloring.
"Florida is probably more aggressive than anywhere else in the country right now, Florida and Texas," Marianos said. But that mythology has to continue in other states, and that's what we're hoping this money does - is jump start the enforcement to go after these crooks."
