The West Hartford Police Department’s Community Support Unit identified five smoke shops in town that were selling illegal products, and multiple arrests have been made.

By Ronni Newton

Over the past 10 months, the West Hartford Police Department’s Community Support Unit (CSU) has been investigating reports of smoke shops throughout town involving in the illegal sale of marijuana and other THC products, and on Tuesday identified five local smoke shops involved in illegal activities, seizing a variety of contraband as well as an illegal weapon, Lt. Ryan Riley said in an email.

Police obtained search and seizure warrants for five shops, and in executing the warrants not only seized a large amount of raw unpackaged marijuana and packaged marijuana, but also seized illegal THC products such as vapes and edibles, cocaine, a .380 caliber Ruger LCP handgun ,and cash obtained from sale proceeds.

Police said that between December 2023 and October 2024, CSU conducted investigations into reports of the smoke shops being involved in this sale of cannabis and other products without proper licensing from the state’s Department of Consumer Protection, which regulates the legal sale of cannabis.

Arrests were made following the execution of search and seizure warrants at the following smoke shops:

• Bluemoon Smoke Shop (39 South Main Street)
• Cigar N Vape (11 Sedgwick Road)
• Exotic Clouds Smoke Shop (949 New Britain Avenue)
• Privilege Smoke Shop (227 Park Road)
• S Lab Premium Smoke Shop (407 New Park Avenue)

Combined, police said they seized a total of 130.21 pounds of marijuana (raw marijuana and THC equivalents), 113.3 grams of cocaine, 1.93 pounds of illegal mushrooms, $31,509 in U.S. currency, and various packaging materials and drug paraphernalia.

The following arrests of employees and/or owners were made, according to police:

Lorenzo Lebron, 21, from Exotic Clouds Smoke Shop, was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of more than 5 ounces of cannabis or cannabis equivalent (first offense), possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence, and interfering with an officer.

Lebron was assigned a $250,000 cash/surety bond and scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 24, 2024, police said.

Amadou Bah, 28, also from Exotic Clouds Smoke Shop, was charged with possession with intent to sell 1 kilogram or more of cannabis, possession of more than 8 ounces of cannabis plant material, possession with intent to sell a hallucinogen (psilocybin mushrooms), and possession of a controlled substance (hallucinogen – psilocybin mushrooms).

Bah was released on $15,000 non-surety bond and is next due in Hartford Superior Court on April 9, 2025.

Items seized from Exotic Clouds Smoke Shop. Courtesy of West Hartford Police

Rana Afzal, 37, of Bluemoon Smoke Shop, has been charged with possession with intent to sell 1 kilogram or more of cannabis, possession of more than 8 ounces of cannabis plant material, possession with intent to sell a hallucinogen (psilocybin mushrooms), and possession of a controlled substance (hallucinogen – psilocybin mushrooms).

Afzal was released on $15,000 non-surety bond and is next due in Hartford Superior Court on Nov. 13, 2024.

Items seized from Bluemoon Smoke Shop. Courtesy of West Hartford Police

Jamie Santuchi, 37, of Privilege Smoke Shop, has been charged with possession with intent to sell 1 kilogram or more of cannabis and possession of more than 8 ounces of cannabis plant material. She was released on $10,000 non-surety bond and next scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Nov. 21, 2024.

Michael Lawrence, 39, of S Lab Premium Smoke Shop, was charged with possession with intent to sell 1 kilogram or more of cannabis, possession with intent to sell a narcotic, possession of a controlled substance (cocaine, first offense), and possession of more than 5 ounces on person/8 ounces in a locked container of an equivalent amount of cannabis or cannabis products.

Lawrence was released on $10,000 surety bond and due back in Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 22, 2024.

Busher Zuheir, 21, of Cigar N Vape, has been charged with possession with intent to sell more than 1 kilogram of cannabis, possession of more than 5 ounces of cannabis or cannabis equivalent (first offense), and second-degree forgery.

Zuheir was released on a $15,000 non-surety bond, and due back in Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 1, 2025.

Police ask anyone who has information related to these investigations to please contact the West Hartford Police Department at 860- 523-5203, or via the anonymous tip line 860-570-8969 or email [email protected].

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