Law enforcement raided several smoke shops and convenience stores selling intoxicating hemp in Morris County recently.
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The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office took the lead, spearheading an investigation after the phased-in intoxicating hemp ban began on April 13th.
They were working with Morris County Sheriff’s Office, the Morris County Office of Emergency Management, and the police departments of Randolph, Boonton, Roxbury, Denville, Montville, and Parsippany-Troy Hills.
Morris County Intoxicaing Hemp Crackdown Raids
According to them, “the investigation is in furtherance of the New Jersey Attorney General’s initiative targeting Smoke Shops that sell illegal flavored vapes, intoxicating hemp products, and marijuana.”
They seized:
- 328 pounds of gummies/edibles
- 16.5 pounds of marijuana
- 56,699 units of THC Vapes weighing about 125.5 pounds
- $45,265.32 in cash
- 17,323 tobacco-flavored vapes
- Approximately 100 cannisters of nitrous oxide
According to TAPinto Montville, they raided:
- Vape Waves Smoke Shop in Montville
- True Blaze Smoke Shop/Wah Wah 2 Smoke Shop LLC in Boonton
- Crown Cigar & Smoke in Boonton
- M&S Convenience & Cigar in Boonton
- Heritage Marketplace in Randolph Township
- Stardust Smoke Shop in Randolph Township
- Green Lux Smoke Shop in Roxbury Township
- MK Mini Mart in Roxbury Township
- Sweet Dreams in Roxbury Township
- Green Lux Smoke Shop in Morris Plains
In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office said that “search warrants were also executed at Smoke & Deli in Boonton, which resulted in a written warning being issued for a first offense of offering for sale less than one ounce of marijuana”
Several individuals have been charged with:
- Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances (3rd degree crime)
- Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance (greater than an ounce but less than five pounds of marijuana and/or more than 5g of hashish but less than one pound) (3rd degree crime)
- Money Laundering (3rd degree crime)
- Unlawful Possession of Toxic Chemicals Inhaled to Cause Intoxication (disorderly persons offense)
- Unlawful Possession of Toxic Chemicals for Sale for the Purpose of Intoxication (4th degree crime)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (disorderly persons offense)
- Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Psilocybin)
- Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Psilocybin under 1oz)
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be lodged.
Morris County Law Enforcement Brags about Crackdown
“I acknowledge and thank all the agencies who participated in this investigation to disrupt and dismantle the illegal sale of marijuana, intoxicating hemp, and illegal flavored vapes from these businesses operating in our communities,” Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said.
He added that the large team helped catch so many.
Smoke shops that sell unlicensed marijuana, intoxicating hemp products, and illegally flavored vapes are not harmless corner stores,” former NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) President and Montville Police Department Chief Andrew Caggiano argued. “They are unregulated points of sale for products that our laws were specifically designed to control, whether because of their appeal to young people, their lack of any safety testing, or their connection to untaxed and unlicensed markets.”
Caggiano aggressively lobbied the NJ Legislature to take action against intoxicating hemp.
His predecessor at NJSACOP, John Zebrowski, was a leading opponent of New Jersey cannabis legalization.
“I want to be clear that this is not the end of this work. Police chiefs across New Jersey will keep working with our municipal partners to identify and act on businesses that put profit ahead of the safety of our residents and children,” Current NJSACOP President and Collingswood Police Department Chief Kevin Carey declared.
He believes it was part of “a pattern of businesses operating outside the licensing and public health framework that New Jersey has put in place for cannabis and hemp products, and profiting from it.”
In a separate statement, Carey said that “We need to continue working closely with state legislators, the Governor’s Office, the Attorney General, and criminal justice partners to ensure that every proposal affecting law enforcement reflects the perspective and expertise of New Jersey’s police chiefs.”
According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s office, “the prosecution of these defendants will be handled by Senior Assistant Prosecutor Erin Callahan and Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Kelly.”
“A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite these accusations, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
