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The Smokin Aces Smoke Shop on Wax Road has had its permit suspended by the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control as part of a statewide crackdown on the sale of illegal vape products.
A four-week statewide investigation called “Operation Vape Out” led to the suspension. The operation was carried out by the ATC with the help of Louisiana State Police, the state fire marshal’s office, Louisiana State Probation and Parole and the federal Homeland Security Investigations. The objective was to seize illegal vape products sold by retail and wholesale businesses and to identify and arrest those responsible for their sale.
Operation Vape Out resulted in 10 arrests and the seizure of more than $1 million worth of illegal vape pens, pods, juices and other products. The products seized include 34,000 pens, pods and juices; 16,000 CBD gummies, liquids and pre-rolled cigarettes; 6,500 containers of nitrous oxide; 1,800 Schedule I narcotics, including marijuana, tianeptine (“gas station heroin”) and psilocybin; and 1,500 tainted sexual enhancement products.
The operation also saw the ATC issue more than 140 citations for alcohol, tobacco, alternative tobacco and consumable hemp violations and the state fire marshal’s office issue more than 150 citations for safety and fire code violations.
Five other Louisiana smoke shops—two in Lafayette and three in Shreveport—also had their permits suspended by the ATC.
Vaping is big business in Louisiana and elsewhere. While local figures are hard to come by, the global e-cigarette and vape market was valued at $28.17 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $182.84 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research.
