By Stephen Appezzato
RED BANK – Three stores in the borough got burned for illegally selling vapes to customers under 21.
Following an investigation by the Red Bank Police Department’s Criminal Investigative Unit, store workers from Mr. Vape, Elite Wellness and Dynasty Smoke were charged for selling flavored tobacco or THC electronic smoking devices to underage individuals. The department launched the operation after receiving complaints of juveniles entering or leaving these stores on a regular basis.
According to the police department, Muhammad Nawaz, Paramvir Singh and Melissa Tobar were arrested and released on special complaint summonses pending court.
During the course of the operation, three other stores – Monmouth Convenience, Welsh Farms and Smoke Theory – were investigated. No illegal sales were conducted during the operation and the department commended those stores’ employees for making it more difficult for underage individuals to purchase smoking products.
In an interview, Rakesh Grover, who works at Smoke Theory, said the problem isn’t new – young people have tried to purchase cigarettes and vapes at his shop since it opened nearly five years ago.
“Many people try to come for vaping stuff, cigarettes and glass, grinders, whatnot,” Grover said.
“This is just a business and, I mean, we are getting a piece of bread just by selling these things, but definitely not selling it to minors or doing any illegal things here in this community,” he added.
Grover said Smoke Theory, which has other locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has a clear policy about not selling to people under 21. One of the first things new employees learn is to differentiate between real and fake IDs, he said.
“Generally, we usually ask everyone for their identification, and definitely for all the young kids,” he said. Some respond by flashing fake IDs, often out-of-state licenses, but Grover said it is more common for minors to show digital IDs on their cell phone, which the store does not accept.
“We tell them this is not at all anything we are going to risk,” he added. Under state law, a person who sells tobacco products to someone under 21 must pay a penalty of up to $1,000 and can be subject to a tobacco retail license suspension or revocation.
Grover said recognizing fake IDs is easy for Smoke Theory’s employees. Often, there are telltale signs that an ID is fake, such as the material, font and watermarks on the license.
“We can simply recognize the fake ID by touching it – the card seems to be a bit lighter than the original (authentic ID). The original one is a bit stronger,” Grover explained. The operation in Red Bank follows a similar one conducted by the Middletown Township Police Department in March. After receiving tips from parents in the township, police investigated the Wilson Avenue Deli, Monmouth Cigar and Smoke Shop and Highlands Cigar and Smoke, which led to the arrests of three individuals.
In 2017 the legal age to purchase tobacco and electronic smoking devices in New Jersey rose from 19 to 21; in 2020 Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to make the Garden State the first in the nation to permanently ban flavored vaping products, which officials say are more appealing to children than conventional tobacco flavors. Despite the law, flavored products can be widely found in New Jersey convenience stores and smoke shops.
Following the investigation in Red Bank, captain and acting Police Chief Mike Frazee commended Lt. James DePonte, Sgt. Sean Hauschildt, Detective Paul Perez, Investigator Mike Zadlock and Special Officer Liam Broderick for their work.
“Addictive products such as tobacco and THC items that are offered for sale are very attractive to children and therefore it is our job to enforce the law and crack down on businesses that make them available,” Frazee said in a release.
Those charged with a crime are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The article originally appeared in the May 9 – May 15, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
