Zach Nunn, Representative for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, said on March 12 that illegal Chinese-made vapes are entering U.S. communities through disguised shipments, evading safety oversight, and being marketed in ways that appeal to minors.
The issue is significant because it raises both public health and national security concerns, according to Nunn. He said the products are designed to attract young people and avoid regulatory scrutiny.
“Illegal Chinese vapes — candy-flavored, FDA-unapproved, and deliberately designed to hook kids on nicotine — are flooding communities across America,” said Nunn in a statement. “As a dad of six, I share the concern of parents across Iowa who’ve sounded the alarm about these dangerous products.”
“Chinese vape manufacturers are smuggling these devices into the U.S. by disguising shipments as everyday goods, allowing them to slip past health inspections and evade safety oversight,” said Nunn. “When products designed overseas are deliberately targeting American kids, it’s not just a public health concern, it’s a national security issue and Washington needs to treat it like one.”
Nunn’s comments came shortly before New York authorities announced a seizure of more than 28,500 pounds of illicit vape products in Nassau and Orange counties. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the investigation found that Ecto World, also known as Demand Vape, shipped large quantities of vape products to sub-distributors and unlicensed retailers across the state, according to Empire State Today.
Demand Vape and Ecto World affiliate Magellan Technology are reportedly associated with Jon Glauser, a board member of the Vapor Technology Association. Breitbart reports that, through the Global Vape Alliance, the association partners with the Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce, an entity registered under China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Jon Glauser told a federal judge that his company sold more than $132 million worth of Elf Bar in a single year, describing demand as so intense that “we were selling it faster than we could get it in.” He also said sellers were making about a 30% margin on Elf Bar—roughly double the profit of other disposable e-cigarettes. Elf Bar is produced by Shenzhen iMiracle in Shenzhen, China, according to Fortune.
Illegal vape sales have drawn law-enforcement attention well beyond routine tobacco enforcement because investigators have tied nearby retail activity to military targeting and organized networks. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said vape shops near military bases were being investigated and that most were owned or operated by foreign nationals believed to be specifically targeting active-duty personnel—underscoring why the issue is being framed as both a security concern and youth-access problem.
Nunn is serving his second term representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House. He is also a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve; his military service has included airborne intelligence missions near Russia and China.
