Clouds Vapors & Lounge Searched By Greenwich PD, Owners Arrested

GREENWICH, CT — The owners of Clouds Vapors & Lounge on North Water Street in Greenwich were arrested on warrants Thursday night on charges that they allegedly sold controlled substances out of the Byram-based shop.

"The warrants were the result of a several month investigation of information received by police that controlled substances were being sold at the store," wrote Greenwich Police Capt. Robert Berry in a statement. "Multiple controlled purchases of THC materials were conducted at the location. Based on the established probable cause, investigators obtained the search warrant for the establishment and arrest warrants for the business operators."

Arrested at the shop were Greenwich residents Miguel A. Rivera, 34, and Christiana M. Los, 32, both of Hawthorne Street South. Rivera was previously arrested by Greenwich police in 2016 on similar charges at the same location, and that case is still pending.

According to Berry, Thursday's search of the establishment allegedly turned up "significant amounts of controlled substances and items not legal to sell" without a proper license. He declined to elaborate on what specifically was uncovered in the raid.

The two were charged with two counts each of Sale of a Controlled Substance and Sale of a Controlled Substance within 1,500 feet of a School. Both were released after each posted bond on bail of $250,000 bond, and they are scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Feb. 15.

"The Department continues to partner with other stakeholders to address the issue of drugs impacting our community," Berry wrote. "One of the recent concerning trends is the proliferation of so-called gateway drugs, such as THC, within vaping and e-cigarette use among children. Oftentimes illegal distributors will illicitly add THC and/or other substances to products from manufacturers which may be difficult to detect. We have found these types of items within the schools in Greenwich. A report in the journal JAMA Pediatrics noted that nearly 9 percent of students surveyed in 2016 said they used an e-cigarette device with marijuana. Greenwich Police continue to pursue those who target vulnerable members of our community, especially our children."

Photo of Clouds Vapors & Lounge via Google Maps

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