Mexico City hands over 50,376 vapes and e-cigarettes for destruction, valued at USD 570,000

Key Takeaways

• Location: Mexico, Mexico City (Historic Center; Zócalo)

• Disposition: 50,376 vapes/e-cigarettes handed over for destruction, valued at 10 million pesos (about USD 570,000)

• Enforcement date: seizure carried out on January 9 at a semi-fixed stall and a small warehouse on Peña y Peña street

• Detention: a 26-year-old man detained; the report mentions weapons and marijuana

• Law: General Health Law reform in force from January 16, banning sales of vapes and similar devices

2Firsts, January 19, 2026

According to El Universal, Mexico City Head of Government Clara Brugada handed over 50,376 vapes and e-cigarettes in the Zócalo for final destruction. The report says the seized merchandise is equivalent to 10 million pesos (about USD 570,000) and was confiscated from a stall and a warehouse located in the Historic Center. One person was detained, as the sale of these products is illegal.

The report notes that, on January 16, amendments to Mexico’s General Health Law took effect, prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes, vapes and similar devices with the stated aim of restricting circulation and consumption nationwide.

In the Zócalo, the seized goods were delivered to the Agency for Sanitary Protection, which will hand them over to the company responsible for final destruction. The report quotes Brugada as saying the seizure sends a message that the Historic Center is not a space for illegal merchandise sales and frames the action as benefiting public health.

Government Secretary César Cravioto said the seizure took place on January 9 at a semi-fixed stall and a small warehouse on Peña y Peña street in the Historic Center, carried out during an operation linked to monitoring informal commerce. The report cites an estimate that if each device costs 150 to 200 pesos (about USD 8.55 to USD 11.40), the market value of the removed products totals close to 10 million pesos (about USD 570,000).

The report says a 26-year-old man was detained and sent to the public prosecutor’s office, and mentions that he had two weapons and marijuana.

Agency for Sanitary Protection Director General Emmanuel González Barbosa described vapes as electronic devices composed mainly of a battery, vape liquid and a sensor, explaining that suction activates the battery and heats the liquid to generate vapor that is inhaled into the lungs. He cited nicotine, glycerin and flavorings, and mentioned heavy metals such as lead and nickel as health risks.

Image source: El Universal