Three more vape shops were raided by police and detectives with the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office Friday in Lower Burrell, in addition to three businesses being raided Thursday across the county.
The stores raided on Friday were Burrell Tobacco and Vape, Discount Vape and More and a convenience store.
The District Attorney says the raids are part of an ongoing criminal investigation after detectives received information that students from several local school districts were caught with THC vape cartridges in school and allegedly purchased those cartridges from vape shops in and around the Westmoreland County area.
“These products are illegal,” said District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli during a press conference Friday. “On several occasions, detectives bought products that contained illegal substances of Delta 8 and higher concentration levels of Delta 9 allowed under the Pennsylvania statute.”
Ziccarelli said this started when detectives were tipped off that students in local schools had THC vapes and cartridges and had purchased them at stores in and around Westmoreland County.
“I was hopeful that the last raid we performed two years ago on several vape shops in the area was enough of a warning to owners to remove illegal products but I was wrong,” Ziccarelli said.
Friday’s raids are in addition to three vape shops raided yesterday across the county.
Michelle Hoge is the girlfriend of the man who owns The Vape Excape in Latrobe.
“With everything that they took, my cases are empty,” Hoge said. “They took over $1,000 worth of stuff.”
Hoge showed Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek a list of what was seized by police, and it does list Delta 8 products.
But, she claims police illegally raided one of her boyfriend’s three businesses.
“What they did, and we’re being bashed on Facebook, we’re being put down, what they did was totally wrong,” Hoge said. “And they didn’t even have their facts right on this warrant.”
Hoge said they were doing everything by the book, and were not selling to minors.
“That’s one of our top priorities,” she said.
Ziccarelli wouldn’t comment on specifics of the investigation into any specific store.
But, she said she is doing anything in her power to protect kids in the area.
“Our children are our greatest resource,” she said. “I’ve said that time and time again. It is not acceptable to target our youth.”
Hoge said she is working to get an attorney and to get her products back.
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