A man from the Colony, 23-year-old Christopher Andrew Reyes, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import drug paraphernalia after selling fake THC vape pens from China on Thursday.
The use of THC-containing vapes have been discouraged by the CDC due to its link to severe lung damage.
"Given the alarming incidence of lung injuries stemming from unregulated THC vapes, we knew could not allow any more of these devices onto our streets," Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said.
"The distribution of these black-market vaping devices is not only illegal but could prove lethal to those who consume vape materials purchased from unregulated sources," Special Agent in Charge Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas, Ryan L. Spradlin said.
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Reyes admitted to allowing vaping shop employees on Harry Hines Boulevard to online order the fake THC vaping products with his bank card, according to court documents.
Multiple packages with the vaping devices inside were being transported from China and through the DFW International Airport and to Reyes's home.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection intercepted a shipment addressed to Reyes containing 2,400 vaping devices in September of 2019.
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Reyes later admitted that after receiving the contents he would sell them back to the vaping shop for profit, and his bank statements confirmed the information.
Reyes could potentially serve three years in federal prison. His sentencing is set for Thursday, Aug. 26.
