Exposing the Illicit ENDS Market
Independent open-source investigations into the illicit ENDS market. Full investigative dossiers on unauthorized operators — every source cited, every finding public, every report free. No paywall. No gatekeepers.
A $10 Billion Market
Operating Outside the Law
The U.S. ENDS market is saturated with unauthorized products, shell company networks, and systematic regulatory evasion. Compliant businesses get undercut. Regulators can't keep up. And the illicit supply chain operates in plain sight.
The FDA has issued marketing denial orders for millions of ENDS products. The majority remain in active distribution through gray-market networks.
Compliant manufacturers and distributors compete against operators who undercut them by ignoring federal product authorization, excise tax obligations, and safety standards.
Federal agencies are backlogged. Industry associations lack teeth. Mainstream media covers youth vaping panic — not the criminal supply chains behind it. Illicit operators thrive in the gap between enforcement capacity and market reality.
Identify. Investigate. Publish. Notify.
Every investigation produces a complete, sourced dossier — built entirely from open-source intelligence. Once published, it goes directly to every regulator, processor, and platform with the authority to act.
Identify
Public records, corporate filings, import databases, product testing, and digital infrastructure analysis to identify illicit operators and map their networks.
Investigate
Deep-dive into corporate structures, supply chains, financial infrastructure, and regulatory compliance status. Every claim is sourced. Every finding is documented.
Publish
Complete investigative dossiers are published freely on this website. No paywall. No gated access. Public journalism in the public interest.
Notify
Upon publication, every relevant entity is notified — federal agencies, state attorneys general, payment processors, hosting providers, and commercial partners. No one who can act on the findings is left out.
How Accountability Works
Each investigation surfaces violations across multiple regulatory and commercial domains at once. One report creates dozens of pressure points — and they don't go away.
Federal Regulatory
Findings go directly to every applicable federal enforcement channel — FDA, CBP, TTB, ATF, DOJ, FinCEN, FTC, CPSC — with full documentation.
Regulatory Cascade
Published reports become permanent public record — accessible to any regulatory body, enforcement agency, legislative office, or newsroom whenever they need them.
Financial & Commercial
Payment processors, banks, credit card networks, commercial insurers, landlords, and shipping carriers are notified of published findings relevant to their compliance obligations.
Digital Infrastructure
Domain registrars, hosting providers, CDNs, advertising platforms, and business listing services — all notified with links to the published report.
Multi-vector monitoring active
Constitutionally Protected
Journalism
Every report published by Cherry Pear Moody is constitutionally protected investigative journalism under established federal law.
Freedom of the press. Public interest reporting on matters of regulatory compliance and public safety.
Journalist privilege protections for sources and newsgathering activities under applicable law.
Statutory protections providing for early dismissal of retaliatory lawsuits targeting protected speech, with mandatory fee-shifting.
Recent Publications
Published investigative dossiers. Investigations are ongoing — new reports are published as they clear legal review.
Sample Investigation: Unauthorized ENDS Distributor Network
CPM-2025-001Multi-state distribution network operating without PMTA authorization, PACT Act registration, or state-level licensing. Shell company structure identified across three jurisdictions.
Import Fraud: Undeclared ENDS Products via West Coast Ports
CPM-2025-002Investigation into systematic customs misclassification of electronic nicotine delivery systems imported through Long Beach and Los Angeles port facilities.
Know Something I Should Investigate?
Unauthorized products. Shell company networks. Import fraud. Tax evasion. If you know something, I want to hear about it. All submissions are confidential. Anonymous tips are welcome.