A smoke shop owner and his business partner face charges after North Carolina Alcohol Enforcement (ALE) said they sold illegal drugs to kids.
According to search warrants, six minors were sick for days after taking illegal THC gummies.
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Those same records say agents found products that had more than 60 times the legal limit of THC.
Warrants says ALE received a complaint that the minors purchased illegal THC gummies in December at Prime Vape Shop on Highway 42 in Johnston County.
That complaint launched a massive investigation spanning five locations in Johnston County resulting in charges for store owner Ahmed Almontaser, 42, and his business partner Mohammed Ahmed, 45, both from Clayton.
According to a search warrant, an undercover ALE agent bought the THC gummy product mentioned in the complaint at Prime Vape, along with THC flower.
Lab tests on those items showed that the gummies had an amount of THC at 0.37%, while the flower had 19% THC. Both were above the legal limit of 0.3%.
Warrants say undercover agents then tried to buy the THC flower product at Clayton Tobacco Shop on US-70, another store Almontaser owns.
There, a store clerk told an undercover agent that the flower would, "test legal when they get it, but isn't legal when you smoke it," according to case documents.
More lab testing revealed the purchased flower products from Clayton Tobacco Shop also contained an amount of THC above the legal limit.
Agents seized more than 17 grams of loose marijuana from the store among other items, according to case warrants.
The ALE confirms that agents carried out search warrants at properties owned by Almontaser and Ahmed where they seized other substances, cash and guns.
WRAL News has reached out to Almontaser, but we have not heard back. A representative for Ahmed denies any wrongdoing.
Almontaser faces 32 charges total. Ahmed faces 19 drug-related charges. Court records show both men have bonded out of jail.
In 2012, Almontaser was charged with selling synthetic drugs. Court records indicate that those charges were eventually dismissed.
In 2024, warrants reveal law enforcement seized 22 jars of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and cash from Prime Vape.
A release order for Ahmed says he has never been convicted of a crime or arrested. Both men are expected back in court on Thursday, March 5, at 9 a.m.
WRAL News has extensively covered how labs are able to test for high levels of THC in products sold at vape shops.
