LCSO Charges 12 Vape Shops With Underage Sales

Loudoun County, VA (August 12, 2025) – An undercover vaping operation conducted recently by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) revealed that some local retailers continue to ignore laws designed to protect underage persons from nicotine addiction. Of the 31 vape and tobacco shops visited, deputies found 12 selling age-restricted products to customers under 21, including five stores caught committing the same violation discovered during a similar operation last year.

Deputies conducted compliance checks at stores across Loudoun County, including the Town of Leesburg, to determine adherence to Virginia Code § 18.2-371.2. This law prohibits selling, distributing, purchasing for, or allowing the purchase of any tobacco or hemp product to a person under 21 years of age.

A first violation carries a civil penalty of $500 for the business and $100 for the employee who makes the sale. Repeat violations within a 36-month period carry a much steeper $2,500 penalty and may result in the suspension or revocation of the business’s license by the Virginia Department of Taxation. These are not minor infractions that can be written off as a cost of doing business — continued violations put the business itself at risk.

“It is deeply concerning that some businesses continue to disregard the law and the health of our young people,” said Sheriff Mike Chapman. “We will continue to hold violators accountable,  including the loss of their license to do business in Loudoun County.”

The locations that sold to a person posing as an underage customer were as follows:

• AIO Smoke & Vape – Sterling (Pigeon Hill Dr.)
• Ashburn Cigar & Vapes (2nd offense) – Ashburn (Ashburn Shopping Plz.)
• Diamond Tobacco & Vapes – Lansdowne (Diamond Lake Dr.)
• HUB – Sterling (Pigeon Hill Dr.)
• Sterling Smoke & Vape (2nd offense) – Sterling (Enterprise St.)
• Tobacco Flex – Purcellville (Main St.)
• Tobacco Hut (2nd offense) – Ashburn (Ashbrook Commons Plz.)
• Tobacco Hut – Ashburn (Church Rd.)
• Tobacco King (2nd offense) – Sterling (Leesburg Pike)
• Tobacco King & Vape – Sterling (Leesburg Pike)
• Tobacco King & Vape (2nd offense) – Leesburg (Fieldstone Dr.)
• Tobacco King & Vape – Leesburg (Market St.)

The LCSO remains committed to enforcement and education. In recent years, deputies have spoken with thousands of students about vaping and its dangers through the D.A.R.E. and Virginia Rules programs and have partnered with Loudoun County Public Schools and other organizations to host educational forums for parents, teachers, and students.

Penalty Call-out:

Penalties for Selling to a Person Under 21

First Offense:

• $500 civil penalty for the business
• $100 fine for the employee who makes the sale

Repeat Offense (within 36 months):

• $2,500 civil penalty for the business
• Possible suspension or revocation of the business’s license by the Virginia Department of Taxation

Contact:
Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Media Relations and Communications Section
[email protected]