Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Investigative Operations Bureau
-Economic Crimes Unit

JUUL Labs Inc.
Address: 560 20^th Street, San Francisco, California

Tawfik Soliman (Arrested)
DOB: 09/16/1972
Address: 2019 Saginaw Court, Oldsmar
Charges: Forging and Counterfeiting Private Labs

What:
Detectives assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit have arrested an Oldsmar man for selling counterfeit electronic cigarettes and nicotine pods.

When:
The suspect was arrested on Friday, August 9, 2019.

Where:
The investigation was conducted in Pinellas County.

Why/How:
Detectives assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit have arrested an Oldsmar man for selling counterfeit electronic cigarettes and nicotine pods.

Detectives began their investigation in July 2019, after receiving information from an investigator with JUUL Labs Inc., who advised a subject was selling counterfeit electronic cigarettes and nicotine pods on the cellular phone app, “offerup.com.” The investigator advised the products were labeled as JUUL merchandise and were confirmed as being counterfeit.

Through various investigative techniques, detectives identified 46-year-old Tawfik Soliman as the suspect selling the counterfeit products.

On August 9, 2019, Soliman sold the counterfeit JUUL products to an undercover detective and was taken into custody. In an interview with detectives, Soliman admitted to purchasing the items directly from China and selling them for a considerable profit.

Soliman was arrested and charged with Forging and Counterfeiting Private Labels and was transported to the Pinellas County Jail. 

The investigation continues.

Soliman booking photo