Brothers' massive vaping operation worked out of mother's office, charges say
MILWAUKEE – The mother of two brothers accused of running a counterfeit THC vape cartridge operation out of a condominium was aware of the illicit activity and allowed some of the products to be assembled in a back room in her real estate office, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
The complaint filed against Courtney Huffhines alleges that the vape cartridges were made in the offices of Realty Executives for two to four weeks before being moved elsewhere temporarily and eventually to a condo rented by Huffhines' son under a fake name.
Doctors across the country are scrambling to figure out what is causing severe lung damage in hundreds of mostly young people who reported vaping before becoming ill. At least a dozen have died.
Working with tips from confidential informants, law enforcement officials uncovered Huffhines' involvement and found a locked cabinet in the back of her office that had equipment to manufacture vaping products, including jars similar to those found in the condo, according to the complaint.
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More people are expected to be charged in connection with the operation, said Lesli Boese, the special prosecutor from Waukesha County handling the case.
"The people who were on top are in custody right now," Boese said.
A police search of Huffhines' text messages captured an exchange Aug. 10 between Huffhines and her son Tyler, who was charged with manufacturing or delivering more than 10,000 grams of THC – along with other charges – last month.
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One confidential informant told law enforcement that Tyler and his brother, Jacob, said their mom encouraged them "to start investing in real estate but they told her they were making too much money making and selling the vape cartridges," the complaint says.
The informant said the brothers said they gave their mom money, according to the complaint.
Courtney Huffhines' attorney, Robert Keller, could not be immediately reached for an interview.
Law enforcement said the Huffhines' operation churned out as many as 5,000 THC vape cartridges every day.
That operation was allegedly run out of a Bristol, Wisconsin, condominium that was managed by Courtney Huffhines, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators said she "knowingly" participated in the operation, the complaint says.
Huffhines, 43, faces charges of possession, as well as manufacturing or delivering THC in amounts greater than 10,000 grams or 201 plants, as party to a crime, according to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department. In addition, she is charged with being party to a crime of misappropriation of personal identifying information and maintaining a drug trafficking place, according to the criminal complaint.
Bail was set at $100,000.
Huffhines' sons, Tyler, 20, and Jacob, 23, lived with her and their grandfather before being arrested last month.
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Tyler Huffhines is accused of manufacturing and selling thousands of vape cartridges filled with THC oil and labeled with fake packaging. Jacob Huffhines had a previous drug-related conviction and was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Investigators seized about $59,000, eight guns, nine cellphones, marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia from the home they shared.
At the condo where the operation was run, investigators seized about 31,200 vape cartridges filled with THC, about 98,000 empty vape cartridges, 57 mason jars filled with THC oil, three money counting machines, thousands of empty vape cartridge boxes and packaging, and drug paraphernalia.
The seized THC products have a street value totaling more than $1.5 million.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested some of the cartridges as part of its investigation into what could be causing serious lung injuries and deaths.
Boese said her office submitted 160 cartridges with THC oil to the FDA.
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