MONROE, CT — Police found narcotics violations at three smoke shops during compliance checks with state officials Tuesday, and arrested one of the owners on an active warrant stemming from similar violations last year.
Stores found in violation include FM One Stop, 447 Monroe Turnpike; A&W Smoke shop, 144 Main St.; and Area 51 Smoke Shop, 525 Main St.
All of the alleged offenses included marijuana and THC violations. Police Lt. Kevin McKellick said no stores in Monroe are licensed to sell cannabis or THC.
Monroe’s officers performed the compliance checks with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection’s Drug Division, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
At approximately 11:11 a.m., an inspection of FM One Stop found several cannabis products in plain view, including a variety of edibles, concentrates/vapes and flower, according to police.
The owner was issued a misdemeanor summons for violation of a sale of one kilogram or more of cannabis. He was released on a promise to appear in court in Bridgeport on Oct. 14.
At approximately 1:10 p.m., officers and state officials spoke to the owner of A&W Smoke Shop. Detectives recognized him and were aware of an active arrest warrant for similar charges last year.
The 38-year-old Bronx man was charged with producing or preparing a controlled substance without a permit, the sale of a kilo or more of cannabis, and conspiracy to commit a sale of a kilo or more of cannabis.
Bond for the warrant arrest was set at $50,000.
Then a compliance check of the store resulted in more violations, according to police.
Officers found over 5.4 pounds of THC products and charged the owner with violation of/sale of one kilo or more of cannabis, and producing or preparing a controlled substance without a permit.
Bond was set at $10,000.
The store owner was unable to make any of his bond, so officers brought him to court the next day.
Then officers and state officials arrived at Area 51 Smoke Shop around 2 p.m. to find the door locked and a male employee walking toward the back of the store.
“We attempted several times to have the party open the front door and were there over 15 minutes when the owner arrived,” McKellick said.
The owner opened the door and representatives of the state agencies conducting an inspection found several THC products for sale in plain view, along with multiple bags of marijuana throughout the shop, police said, adding there was a total of over eight pounds of THC products.
The owner, a 29-year-old Philadelphia man, was charged with producing or preparing a controlled substance without a permit, then released on seven percent of his $10,000 bond for an Oct. 8 court date.
A trail of asphalt
Officers responding to a complaint over a large amount of asphalt in the roadway posing hazards to vehicles on Pepper Street late Monday morning spoke to an eyewitness, who told them it fell off a paving truck.
Police followed the trail of asphalt from north Pepper Street, near Tollgate Plaza, to Jockey Hollow and Fan Hill roads, then Lynn Drive where they found the dump truck.
The driver reportedly told officers he learned he had a faulty sensor on his truck’s rear gate.
The asphalt was cleaned up and the driver, a 37-year-old Bridgeport man, was issued a ticket for operating an improperly loaded vehicle.
Into the woods
Officers responding to a complaint of a pickup truck off the road on Route 34 found an unoccupied 2017 Nissan Frontier in the woods, across from Lake Zoar Drive-In Monday morning.
Police arrived at the scene around 6:40 a.m. and learned the driver, a 24-year-old Oxford man, fled the scene of the accident and officers tracked him down.
The driver said he was heading east on Roosevelt Drive when he swerved to avoid a deer, lost control of his truck and hit a tree, according to the report. His damaged pickup was towed.
He did not report any injuries, but was issued a misdemeanor summons for evading and failure to drive in the proper lane.
