07-22-2021 NEWS: Indiana State Excise Police Officers Warn of Counterfeit E-Liquid

INDIANAPOLIS (July 22, 2021) - Indiana State Excise Police (ISEP) have confiscated thousands of counterfeit Mr. Fog e-liquid devices sold at retailers throughout the state. ISEP encourages Hoosiers who purchase Mr. Fog vaping devices to look for indicators of counterfeit products and to report any potential illegal products to ISEP.

ISEP districts across the state have received an influx of complaints of potential counterfeit Mr. Fog vaping devices sold at Indiana Tobacco Certificate holder locations. After investigation, ISEP officers determined certain Mr. Fog devices were deemed counterfeit. Charges against the retailers' tobacco certificates include counterfeiting, failure to provide invoices, tobacco public nuisance and purchasing from a non-licensed Indiana distributor.

On Tuesday, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC) approved the following settlement agreements for tobacco certificate holders selling counterfeit Mr. Fog products:

• Vape Ventures LLC d/b/a Cravin Vapes, located at 114 Lincoln Highway W in New Haven, has agreed to a $2,000 Civil penalty and a 15-day suspension of the tobacco certificate.
• Siddhgaanseh Corporation d/b/a Marathon, located at 4995 Hwy 64 NW in Depauw, has agreed to a $2,000 Civil penalty and a 30-day suspension of the tobacco certificate.
• Yogesh LLC d/b/a Daleville Marathon, located at 7925 S. Walnut Street in Daleville, has agreed to a $2,000 Civil penalty and a 15-day suspension of the tobacco certificate.
• Star Petroleum, located at 3220 Wayne Trace in Fort Wayne, agreed to a $1,000 Civil penalty and a 7-day suspension of the tobacco certificate.
• South Town Food Mart, located at 7418 S. Anthony Boulevard in Fort Wayne, agreed to a $1,000 Civil penalty and a 7-day suspension of the tobacco certificate.
• Pari Inc, located at 1340 E. SR 46 in Batesville, agreed to a $2,000 Civil penalty and a 30-day suspension.
• Trisha Inc, located at 9193 State Road 101 in Brookville, agreed to a $2,000 Civil penalty and a 30-day suspension.

The ISEP has several ongoing investigations into additional locations throughout the state for sales of counterfeit e-liquid product.

Information on indicators of counterfeit product can be found below. Full-sized photos are linked at the end of the release. Purchasers of these devices can also scratch off the gray strip on the back of the package which will reveal a serial number. That serial number can be authenticated on mrfog.com.

As the enforcement division of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, the primary mission of the ISEP is to promote public safety by enforcing Indiana's alcoholic beverage code. Indiana Code 7.1-7 gives the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission and the ISEP the authority to regulate and enforce vapor pens and e-liquid.

To report potential counterfeit e-liquid products, please contact the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission at 317-232-2452 or by filing a complaint at https://www.in.gov/atc/isep/contact-us/.