An unlicensed vape shop in Herkimer County will permanently close after New York Attorney General Letitia James and the New York State Department of Health reached a settlement with the business and its owner over repeated violations of state law.
Under the agreement, Liberty Smokeland in the Village of Ilion must cease operations within 20 days. The settlement also permanently bars owner Ali Al Shugaa from selling, marketing, distributing, or otherwise participating in the sale of tobacco or vape products anywhere in New York.
The settlement follows a lawsuit filed in January 2025 by the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Health against Liberty Smokeland, G Smoke 360 Corp., Al Shugaa, and co-owner Galal Kaid.
In March, the Attorney General obtained a default judgment against G Smoke and Kaid after they failed to respond to the lawsuit. That judgment prohibited them from selling or distributing vape products in New York.
According to state investigators, inspections found the business repeatedly sold illegal flavored e-cigarettes, failed to verify customers’ ages, sold vape products to minors, and operated without the required state license.
Investigators documented several instances in which flavored vape products were sold to underage customers without identification. In one case, officials said a minor was sold a strawberry mango-flavored vape after telling the clerk they did not have identification.
The Department of Health also found more than 5,700 packages of flavored vape products openly displayed for sale, despite New York’s ban on the retail sale of flavored nicotine vapor products.
State officials said the business continued violating the law even after the Department of Health imposed a $285,700 penalty in January 2024. Follow-up inspections in May and August 2024 found the store was still selling illegal flavored vape products.
Under the settlement, Al Shugaa is permanently prohibited from obtaining a license to sell tobacco or vape products in New York or owning any business involved in the sale, distribution, or marketing of those products.
If the defendants violate the terms of the agreement, they could face additional penalties exceeding $100,000, along with further legal action.
Attorney General James said the settlement ensures the defendants can no longer profit by selling illegal and addictive products to minors, while Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the agreement reinforces the state’s commitment to reducing youth vaping and protecting public health.
