By Stephen Appezzato
MIDDLETOWN – After receiving a tip that vapes were being illegally sold to underage residents around the township, the Middletown Police Department launched an investigation, leading to arrests and charges.
In a coordinated approach, officers responded to three stores around town and witnessed store employees selling vaping products to underage people. Officers then identified themselves and arrested those responsible for making the sales.
Middletown Police Chief Craig Weber said the illegal sale of tobacco products to underage people in the community creates a “significant impact on our children’s lives. This is especially true with vaping products which are incredibly addictive.”
The three locations police investigated were Highlands Cigar and Smoke, located in Eastpoint Plaza in the Navesink area of the township, the Wilson Avenue Deli in Port Monmouth, and Monmouth Cigar and Smoke Shop located in Romeo’s Plaza, also in Port Monmouth. Middletown police officers arrested Haq N. Khan and Muhammad Shahid of Union Beach, and Nelson Yamul of Middletown, each on the charges of sale of a vaping product to a person under 21 and sale of a flavored vaping product.
In a release, Weber revealed that it was parents who discovered and reported these “incredibly irresponsible” activities.
Those charged with the sale of a vaping product to a person under 21 face a petty disorderly persons offense, while those charged with selling a flavored vaping product, if found guilty, face a civil penalty.
In 2020 Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation making New Jersey the first state in the nation to permanently ban flavored vape products, claiming flavored electronic smoking devices and products are “extremely appealing, especially to children.” While the sale of flavored vape products has been banned for four years, enforcement has proven a challenge, as they are still easily obtainable from convenience stores and smoke shops across the area.
Those arrested or charged with offenses are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The article originally appeared in the March 28 – April 3, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
