LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A multi-agency operation served search warrants at 12 downtown Los Angeles businesses on Thursday, October 22, 2026, seizing about eight tractor-trailer loads of illicit vapes, flavored tobacco and counterfeit merchandise and arresting 24 people, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced.
Read the LASD release on Nixle: https://local.nixle.com/alert/12794307/
The operation covered the blocks from 3rd Street to Winston Street, between Crocker Street and Los Angeles Street.
The warrants targeted businesses suspected of selling illicit flavored vaping products, flavored cigarettes and counterfeit merchandise.
Several people were detained during the searches, and the seized products were taken as evidence.
Warrants, Seizures, and the Charges Listed
According to LASD, the 24 arrests covered alleged violations of 46.90.1 LAMC, which prohibits sales of flavored tobacco; 22980.2 B&P, selling or gifting cigarettes or tobacco products without a valid license; and 350(a)(1) PC, involving counterfeit trademarks.
The Sheriff's Department released the names and ages of the 24 people arrested: Khalaf Elias, 34; Ismail Ebrahim Keekeebhai, 61; Christopher Marquez, 32; Mohamed Munnee, 72; Tony Marquez, 44; Eliot Hernandez-Aranda, 29; Yolanda Perez, 66; Abanoub Malakmatta Ghaly, 33; Youssri Rezk Henein Ayyad, 49; Jhon Abdelmaseeh Fayez Gerges, 22; Jaime Alonzo Ruiz, 38; Andres Sanchez, 52; Sajeet Raj Aryal, 35; Abhishek Suwal, 22; Sanjay Makhijani, 59; Scott Matthew Hainlen, 37; Morad Aziz Atalla, 56; Samuel Velasquez, 38; Jhab Fovad Hazdar, 53; Anwar Kamel Bouhadir, 56; Paola Nava, 33; Tarek Eldahouk, 56; Gustavo Betancourt, 40; and Fazal Wajid, 51.
Eight Agencies, One Stretch of Downtown
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The operation was run with the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Department of Justice, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California Department of Public Health Food and Drug Branch, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.
Capt. Tenaya Brown of the Community Partnerships Bureau said the operation reflects the department's ongoing work against the unlawful sale of illicit tobacco, flavored vaping products and counterfeit merchandise, and credited the partner agencies for the joint effort.
Filing Decisions, an Open Investigation, and How to Send a Tip
The arrests will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office or the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for filing consideration, as appropriate.
LASD says the investigation remains active and involves multiple cases and suspects.
Anyone with information can contact the Sheriff's Department's Community Partnerships Bureau at (323) 981-5300. Anonymous tips go to L.A. Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or lacrimestoppers.org.
Sources
LASD Nixle alert, October 26, 2026: https://local.nixle.com/alert/12794307/
LASD post on X (@LASDHQ), October 26, 2026
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Published: Oct 29, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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