Thursday morning, authorities executed search warrants at seven vape shops across the county.
The multi-agency investigation involved the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Robbins Police Department, Southern Pines Police Department, Aberdeen Police Department, Pinebluff Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
The search warrants were served at R&R Tobacco & Vape 2 in Robbins, Circle H 2 in Carthage, Up in Smoke Vape Shop in Carthage, The Island Smoke Shop Lounge 1, 2, and 3 in Southern Pines and Aberdeen and Tobacco CBD & Vape in Pinebluff, said Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields in a statement.
“The investigation was prompted by multiple complaints alleging the illegal sale of vape products to minors, reports of minors experiencing overdoses related to vape consumption, and the sale of products exceeding the legal limit of 0.3% Delta-9 THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol),” said Fields.
“Hundreds of items were seized in this morning’s search,” said Robbins Police Chief Ben Haddock.
At the R&R Tobacco and Vape 2, the Robbins Police Department received complaints over the course of an eight-month period. According to Haddock, they received complaints from schools, parents, and concerned citizens for the alleged underage sales of vape products.
The Robbins Police Department conducted undercover operations with juveniles purchasing vape products in the past.
“We charged individuals, and I figured that would fix it, but it turned out to be that it didn’t and that there was a bigger problem,” said Haddock. “I contacted the county who has a bigger resource.”
The investigation into the Robbins vape store showed that some of the vape products that were being sold were allegedly over the legal limit.
“In North Carolina, the legal limit is .3. Some of this stuff was coming back as tested as .87 percent, which is basically marijuana,” said Haddock. “That was another reason for the search warrant, due to the fact that several kids overdosed, a couple at school. Kids were able to walk in and buy anything they wanted. It was time to search warrants.”
The search warrant that was executed in Robbins took three hours, and 210 illegal items were seized with a retail value of $10 to $15,000, said Haddock.
Fields stated that multiple people are expected to face charges in the near future as the investigation continues. Further details regarding those charges will be released at a later time once the investigation concludes.
Feature photo: R&R Tobacco & Vape 2 in the Robbins Town Centre shopping center was served with a search warrant on Jan. 30.
~Article and photo by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Curtis Self. Curtis has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2019.
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