New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a court order to permanently close Evan Mills Smoke & Accessories, LLC, and Northwind26449, Inc., operating as Evan Mills Smoke Shop in Jefferson County. The businesses and their owners were found guilty of violating state laws by selling flavored e-cigarettes and other misbranded drugs. The consent order prevents the owners from ever running any business that sells nicotine or tobacco products. Additionally, they are required to pay $50,000 in penalties and face a potential $3.81 million fine if they breach the consent order.
Attorney General James stated, "Smoke shop owners that are illegally selling candy-flavored vapes to young people are fueling the nationwide youth vaping epidemic." She emphasized that this action holds the shop's owners accountable and protects young people from harmful substances.
The sale of flavored vapor products containing nicotine is illegal in New York retail stores. Owners Ayoub Alharbi and Sameer Mohamod-Hizan Yahia repeatedly broke these laws by selling such products along with kratom and nitrous oxide. In 2023, Attorney General James initiated legal proceedings to shut down the smoke shop permanently.
The consent order mandates the forfeiture of seized items from Evan Mills Smoke Shop: over 3,300 flavored nicotine vape products, 60 boxes of nitrous oxide, 577 packages of THC vapes, 617 packages of THC or Delta-8 edibles and tinctures, 35 packages of sativa cannabis, 232 packages of psilocybin mushroom bars, 62 packages of kratom, among other misbranded drugs.
Fort Drum Military Police assisted in this case. This move is part of Attorney General James' broader efforts against youth nicotine addiction. Earlier actions include lawsuits against major e-cigarette manufacturers for contributing to youth vaping issues and securing funds from Juul for its role in this crisis.
This case was managed by Assistant Attorneys General Julia Toce, Leanne Moser, Deanna R. Nelson; Investigators Chad Shelmidine, Andrea Buttenschon; under Michael Leahy's supervision at Watertown Regional Office within the Division of Regional Affairs led by Jill Faber under Jennifer Levy's oversight.