BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — On Thursday, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office announced they carried out search warrants at all 26 vape and tobacco stores in the county.
Of those, 25 were allegedly found to be selling illegal THC and psilocybin products.
THC in some isolated forms can be sold in in North Carolina, but the sheriff’s office said these products tested well above the legal limit.
The sheriff’s office—in collaboration with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, state and federal officials—traced the products back to a distribution center in Wilmington.
In total, authorities seized nearly 690 pounds of marijuana, 118 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, one firearm, and $104,000 in cash.
Nearly 20 people also face felony charges.
Sheriff Brian Chism believes the way these products are packaged is concerning, with branding and flavors that appear to target minors.
“You can see some of them are marked like candy, Skittles, so you cannot tell me that this is not targeted towards kids,” Chism said.
Captain Jeff Beck with the sheriff’s office added some of the illicit products have been found in local schools.
“Our SROs, they work hard every day in these schools, taking care of our kids, taking care of these schools, and they’re seizing this product daily,” he said.
Beck warned that even adult consumers may be putting themselves in danger.
“In totality of the circumstances, you have no idea what you’re ingesting, or how much you’re ingesting in your body,” Beck noted.
Sheriff Chism closed the new conference with a warning to vape shop owners.
“I hope that this is an eye opening to all the vape shops in Brunswick County that this will not stop. As long as I am sheriff, this will continue,” he said. “We will be in your stores, you won’t know we’re going to be there, you won’t see us coming, but we’re going to be there.”
Sheriff Chism added these illicit products are a known issue across the state. He said his office plans to use what they’ve learned to assist other law enforcement agencies in their own investigations.
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