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The bust was made during the week of Monday, Aug. 21 with the help of the Greenburgh Drug and Alcohol Taskforce, which consists of police agencies from Ardsley, Greenburgh, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and North Castle, County Executive George Latimer announced on Monday, Aug. 28.
As a result of the bust, county officials confiscated all of the products being sold illegally and ticketed the store's owner, who now has a pending hearing. The specific store and its location were not revealed by county officials.
The enforcement comes as part of an initiative to crack down on illegal and underage vape sales in Westchester, Latimer said. As part of this effort, the county's Department of Health has been conducting more frequent and enhanced compliance checks at licensed facilities.
In the past two months alone, more than 70 facilities in Westchester have been inspected, county officials said.
Latimer said that the initiative has already proved to be successful.
"In our pursuit of protecting public health – particularly in the case of minors, our initiative against illegal vape sales is showing real results," Latimer said, adding, "While most comply, we're taking a stand against illegal sales, confiscating banned products and upholding our commitment to a healthier Westchester County."
County officials added that most facilities have been found to be in compliance with the law. However, numerous illegal sales of tobacco products to minors in the county have been discovered, and the Health Department has seized hundreds of flavored vape products, which are illegal to sell in New York.
Any facilities found to be in violation of the law are issued tickets and fines by the Health Department, and may even lose their license to sell tobacco products, officials said.
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