As more and more states opt to legalize marijuana there is a heightened focus for law enforcement to crack down on unlicensed and unregulated marijuana businesses that could be selling dangerous and deadly products.
One such instance occurred recently as police in Connecticut have raided an unlicensed smoke shop called ZaZa Smoke Shop in Norwalk that is accused of selling fentanyl with their Marijuana products. This resulted in the arrest of New York resident Ali Mahmood Ahmed Abdullah Ghaleb, 21.
Ghaleb is being charged with several crimes including:
- Possession with intent to sell more than 1 kg of Cannabis
- Possession greater than 1.5, 5, 8 oz cannabis 21>
- Possession of cannabis plant <50 oz 18, Sale 1 kg or more Cannabis-sbs
- Sale of a Narcotic substance
- Possession with intent to sell Narcotics
- Use of Drug Paraphernalia
“Police received information that this location was also selling marijuana laced with fentanyl. Many of the marijuana products seized during the search tested positive for the presence of fentanyl,” the Norwalk Police Department said in a Facebook post announcing the arrest.
After conducting the search of the business, authorities found THC products beyond the 0.3% THC legal limit. Overall, there were more than three pounds of pure Marijuana and THC gummies found during the raid.
There were hundreds of products with THC concentrates too high to sell without a license, including some gummies with more than 50 times the legal limit of THC.
In Connecticut, the legal maximum of THC per gummy is 1 mg.
In addition, many of the products seized tested positive for fentanyl.
Police also discovered several products with misleading labels and seized $1,983 in cash from the facility. Police will attempt to keep the money through the Asset Forfeiture Statutes.
The arrest was made by the Connecticut Consumer Protection Drug Control Division.
Abdullah was given a $15,000 bond and was released after posting bond. He is scheduled to appear at the Stamford Superior Court on August 16.
The investigation is part of an ongoing investigation into unlicensed cannabis retailers. This is also the second time the ZaZa Smoke Shop has been investigated for wrongdoing.
"In Connecticut, it is illegal to sell products with a total THC concentration greater than 0.3% without a Cannabis license issued by the Department of Consumer Protection," Norwalk police officials wrote in a statement.