Nassau County police shut down trio of smoke shops for allegedly selling illegal vapes, kratom
The arrests come just weeks after the Nassau County legislature, bi-partisanly, passed a bill banning the sale and distribution of kratom.
More Stories
Nassau County police have shut down three smoke shops and made arrests during a string of quality-of-life investigations this week.
On Monday, March 23, members of the county police's strategic response team arrested two employees at XpressMart, 757 Foxhurst Rd, in Baldwin.
Investigators said they found a large quantity of flavored vape products, kratom and pepper spray cannisters out for sale.
Two employees, Ketankumar Patel, 35, of Flushing and Hiteshukam Shah, 50, of Hicksville, were arrested. Nassau County police charged the pair with the sale of restricted products, the sale of flavored products prohibited, and the unlawful sale of noxious materials.
Both were issued desk appearance tickets and are due back in court on April 16.
On Tuesday, March 24, the county police's strategic response team targeted a second smoke shop in Baldwin, this time, less than .2 miles from XpressMart.
Officials said they went into Baldwin Convenience and Snacks, at 768 Merrick Rd. and also found a large quantity of flavored vapes, kratom, THC products and pepper spray cannisters for sale.
Nassau County police arrested Abdul Tani, 19, of Elmont and charged him with the sale of restricted products, the sale of flavored products prohibited, unlawfully selling noxious materials and unlawful possession of cannabis.
He, too, was issued a desk appearance ticket and is due back in court on April 10.
Then last night, the strategic response team investigated the alleged sale of flavored vape products at the Convenience and Smoke Shop at 2050 Hempstead Tpk. in East Meadow.
Investigators said they found a large quantity of flavored vape products and kratom for sale.
Officers arrested Assem Mohamed, 33, of Brooklyn and charged him with the sale of restricted products and the sale of flavored products prohibited.
He was also issued a desk appearance ticket and is due back in court on April 28.
Kratom is derived from a plant and is billed as a natural supplement for pain, anxiety and opioid use disorder.
The FDA has warned consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder.
County lawmakers said they passed the ban because they said the substance isn't regulated enough to be sold.
Nassau County police said officers routinely do these types of investigations, which are ongoing.
