Northeast
21,000% spike in MA vape seizures throws cigarette ban into question, ex-ATF official says
After Massachusetts authorities released a report showing a sharp rise in flavored cigarette and vape seizures under a recent bipartisan statewide ban, a former ATF official and a network of law enforcement veterans specializing in contraband called into question why the ban remains.
An annual multi-agency report from the Bay State’s Illegal Tobacco Task Force showed vape seizures up by more than 200,000 – largely due to large-scale seizures – since 2023, while smokeless tobacco and standard cigarette seizures were down.
Calculations by the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network found that Massachusetts police seized 279,432 vape units in fiscal year 2024, up from about 1,300 the year prior.
Former New York City Sheriff Edgar Domenech, who is also a former ATF official who focused on tobacco and related contraband, told Fox News Digital the findings showed the illegal vape market is “exploding,” and that when the Bay State became the first to outlaw flavored tobacco, it was a clarion call for cartels and smugglers to say, “[we’re] open for business.”
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“A 21,000 percent increase in smuggling proves once and for all that the Massachusetts flavor ban experiment has been an embarrassing catastrophe,” said Domenech, who had been appointed to his Big Apple post by then-Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg and now works with Georgetown University.
“They are spending so much time seizing so much product they literally can’t find a place to store the contraband,” he said.
While the rule of law is important, sometimes new laws themselves may need revisiting, he suggested.
Without the ability to levy taxes on what is now an illegal product that remains ubiquitous elsewhere in New England, bordering states like New Hampshire – less than an hour from Boston – seek to reap the tax benefits of Massachusetts’ ban as customers go a little out of their way to buy their products, he said.
Prohibiting adult products like vapes “never works,” Domenech added. “It moves sales out of the stores and into the streets.”
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In January, Boston police in the Drug Control Unit arrested a 58-year-old Dorchester man as part of a raid that netted 50 grams of crack and 700 packages of “illegally possessed unstamped menthol cigarettes.” The man, Parrish Jones, was charged with trafficking cigarettes.
Separately, a Hopkinton man was arrested in June for allegedly failing to pay nearly $500,000 in excise taxes after he allegedly sought out-of-state distributors in order to market vape-type products, according to FOX Boston.
The ban itself went into effect in December 2019, as the Massachusetts Public Health Council enacted new sales restrictions on vapes and flavored tobacco.
The panel was able to do so after then-Gov. Charles Baker – a Republican – signed a bill from the Democratic legislature “modernizing tobacco control.”
Man smoking a vape. (iStock)
More recently, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office filed a complaint against a vape company in 2024 for allegedly ignoring the flavored tobacco ban. The office previously sued several other companies as well, according to a statement.
In November, several Massachusetts lawmakers announced plans to file legislation this year to phase out all tobacco and nicotine sales in the state, beginning with those Bay Staters who are currently underage to begin with.
Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Middlesex, Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, D-Melrose, and Rep. Tommy Vitolo, D-Brookline, are collaborating on the bill, according to NBC Boston.
Fox News Digital reached out to the AG’s office for further response but did not hear back by press time.
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Connecticut
Missing Connecticut girl found alive 25 years after kidnapping with help from DNA testing
Connecticut police have located a New Haven girl — now a woman — who went missing 25 years ago, when she was just 2 years old.
Andrea Reyes, 27, was abducted in October 1999 by her non-custodial, biological mother, Rosa Tenorio, who brought her to Mexico.
“Thank you for sharing in our joy in finding our daughter Andrea. After 25 years, God has answered our prayers and blessed us with a chance to know her again,” Andrea’s stepmother said in an emotional statement during a March 12 press conference with the New Haven Police Department. “We recognize that this reacquaintance will have challenges, however, we are confident that God is building the path before us and leading our steps.”
Andrea’s father went on several trips to Mexico himself over the years to find his daughter, police said during the press conference.
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Andrea Reyes, now 27, was abducted in October 1999 by her non-custodial, biological mother, Rosa Tenorio, who brought her to Mexico. (NCMEC)
Andrea’s father and stepmother thanked law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Her stepmother also said DNA technology helped law enforcement develop a lead that ultimately led them to Andrea, who currently lives in Mexico.
She added that they “do not lose sight for those families waiting for their loved ones to be found.”
“We keep you in our prayers, hoping for the day that you, too, can be reunited with your loved ones,” Andrea’s stepmother said. “As we establish new connections over these days and months, we ask for your prayers and respect for our privacy. We hope that our good news will one day be your good news.”
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NCMEC’s age-progression photo image of Andrea Reyes. (NCMEC)
Mexican authorities apparently identified Reyes and her mother in 2000, but “it was advised that the Government of Mexico would not take further action to remove Andrea from her mother,” New Haven PD Sgt. John Moore said during the press conference.
Andrea apparently contacted the man she believed to be her father in 2023, when Det. Kealyn Nivakoff with the New Haven Police Department began to re-investigate the case. To confirm her identity, New Haven police partnered with forensic genetic genealogy research company Othram, which ultimately confirmed a father-daughter relationship between Andrea and her father.
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Family abductions are the second-most common type of child abduction in the United States, according to NCMEC.
Andrea Reyes’ father speaks during a March 12 press conference about finding his missing daughter after 25 years. (Facebook/ New Haven PF)
In 2023, NCMEC received 1,185 family abduction cases and 59% of all AMBER Alerts that were issued were for family abductions.
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“One of the biggest misconceptions about family abduction cases is that the children are safe and ‘not really missing’ because they’re with a parent,” Angeline Hartmann, director of communications at NCMEC, said in a statement. “At NCMEC, we know that there is a lot of emotion behind these cases, and these scenarios can be unpredictable and dangerous. These children ARE missing and living a life on the run with their kidnapper. They’re forced to lie about who they are and are often isolated. The recent recoveries of Andrea Reyes and Aziz Khan remind everyone that these kids can be found, no matter how long they’ve been gone.”
An arrest warrant for Tenorio remains active.
ENDWELL, N.Y. (WBNG) — Heading into the sixth and final game, Maine-Endwell trailed first place by 28 pins.
The Spartans locked in to hit 1,033 pins, the most that any team bowled on the day, while claiming the program’s first championship by a 132-pin margin.
“We all put all of our hard work and energy into that last game,” said Maine-Endwell senior Jenna Kurtz.
Maine-Endwell’s team of six was led by five seniors.
While the Spartans have failed to achieve the goal of being state champions in the past, a specific focus in practice helped put the Spartans on top.
“We do a lot of spare practicing, and that’s what won us the title,” Maine Endwell senior Natalie Yale said.
When the game was sealed, Maine-Endwell head coach Eric Williams became emotional and proud of his team.
“Especially with four seniors leaving, it’s very tough,” Williams said. “Very exciting to the point where it takes away your breath sometimes.”
The Spartans’ biggest surprise of the day came off the lanes. They found out that a parade had been set up for their arrival at Maine-Endwell, with police, fire trucks and more leading the way.
“It’s just very surprising how many people came out,” said Maine-Endwell senior Reonna Smithgall. “Feels great to have everybody there for us.”
Williams said the Spartans may compete in the High School Bowling National Championship in June, which will take place in Indiana.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
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