CENTRAL SQUARE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A pair of vape shops, right along busy Route 11 in Central Square, was busted by police Friday.
Lake Smoke and Vape Shop and E-Shop Vape Shop in Central Square were the targets of the investigation
NewsChannel 9 was there with State Police, Central Square Police, and the DEA as they moved in.
Two men were taken into custody. Hundreds of store products were removed from store shelves.
As a result of the search warrants, law enforcement seized over 9,500 individual packages of flavored vape.
Galal Fawozi Abdo A. Murshed, 22, of Utica was arrested for one count of unlawfully dealing with a child.
State Police say the shops have been selling to kids. Paul V. Moore (Central Square) High School is less than a five-minute walk from the shops.
Central Square Superintendent Tom Colabufo said: “I heard a 15-year-old was able to purchase something here, that’s crazy to think about. I have two young kids to think someone could get access that easy on something like that, that could hook them for a lifetime, with nicotine, alone, is very troubling.”