Detectives say series of raids has put vape shop owners on notice

Westmoreland County vape shops are taking notice in the wake of police raids in the last several months at similar businesses.

Westmoreland County Detective Tony Marcocci said a couple of shops checked recently by undercover officers had stopped selling illegal items as a result of raids on vape shops.

“It’s obviously made some kind of impact,” he said.

“We are seeing less vapes found in high schools, and some stores are pulling the illegal substances off shelves as a result of these investigations,” said Melanie Jones, spokesperson for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

The latest raid came Thursday in North Huntingdon, following busts in October and November in Hempfield, Latrobe, Delmont, Mt. Pleasant and Lower Burrell. Police reported seizing illegal items during all of the busts.

The state Attorney General’s Office and county detectives have been working with municipal police in the investigations. No arrests have been made. Marcocci said the majority of the vape shops targeted in the busts are owned by individuals from other countries.

Police are investigating additional complaints of illegal activity at a couple other vape shops, but it’s unclear if anything criminal is afoot. Marcocci declined to reveal their locations.

“We are still putting together our evidence,” he said. “If we get to the point where we can hit them with search warrants, we will.”

A search warrant in the North Huntingdon raid obtained by the Trib revealed that a customer of Star Smoke and Vape on Route 30 was pulled over Nov. 20 after speeding through a school zone and told authorities the marijuana in his vehicle had been purchased at the shop. The driver reported to township police he had seen numerous underage customers at the store.

An undercover officer later bought items containing marijuana there, according to the search warrant. In a second warrant seeking access to two bank accounts connected to Star Smoke and Vape, police said they seized a number of items containing illegal substances Thursday.

All of the items in the raids from October, November and Thursday have been sent to the state police crime lab. This type of case is difficult to work on because the evidence is typically voluminous and there are a number of potential suspects, Marcocci said.

The other raids happened Oct. 24 at vape shops in Delmont, Hempfield and Latrobe. The following day, police hit vape shops in Lower Burrell.

Items at Tobacco Land on West Main Street in Mt. Pleasant were seized Nov. 13.

Five people — two owners of PA Vapor & Glassroom in Murrysville and three employees — were arrested a year after a 2023 raid. The operation was the culmination of nearly a year of investigative work that stemmed from local high school students being found with vape and THC pens and anonymous complaints to police about minors purchasing illegal products there.

Police reported seizing more than 33 pounds of THC in various forms and 20 pounds of psilocin-infused chocolate bars, according to court papers. Psilocin is a hallucinogen present in psychedelic mushrooms. The five suspects are awaiting court action in their cases.