- The Director General of the Philippine Customs Bureau, Bienvenido Rubio, ordered an investigation into the suspected recycling and resale of seized vapes, and confirmed to the public that counterfeit goods worth about US$190 million seized in Binondo, Manila have been properly kept by the customs and will be confiscated and handled in accordance with relevant laws.
- The largest vapefactory in Taiwan’s history was seized in Taichung, China, suspected of smuggling, and the mastermind couple and Thai migrant workers were arrested. It is reported that the market value of the factory is as high as US$4.28 million.
- The Pudong Branch of Shanghai Peixin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. was seized by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration for selling illegally produced RELX and other brand vapeand vape pods. The company was ordered to publicly destroy and suspend its retail business for 60 days.
- The US International Trade Commission agreed to PAXLabs’ request to partially terminate the investigation, and the investigation of claims 4 and 21 of the “527 patent” was officially terminated. The case involves ALD, STIIIZY and other companies.
- The Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled to dismiss the petition for reconsideration filed by the Tobacco Association of the Philippines and Edsel Lagman, confirming the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration under the Food and Drug Administration Act.
- Oriental, Egypt’s largest cigarette manufacturer, sold the assets of its Factory No. 9 to United Tobacco, a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, for US$32.61 million.