Man Accused Of Selling Illegal Marijuana Products At Trumbull Shop: PD

TRUMBULL, CT — A New York man accused of selling illegal marijuana products and other items from his Trumbull tobacco shop was arrested Wednesday, according to police.

In a news release, Police Lt. Brian Weir said Trumbull officers and agents from the departments of consumer protection and revenue services executed a search warrant at Tobacco N Cigar on Daniels Farm Road around 5:30 p.m. to "locate and seize items reasonably construed to facilitate the trafficking and use of illegal products."

Officers met with the owner, Abdul Hassan, 23, of Bronx, N.Y., at the store and found multiple illegal THC products, along with sale proceeds totaling over $1,200 in cash, multiple digital scales, records, packaging materials and cigarettes that were affixed with counterfeit tax stamps.

All of these items were on display for sale at the store, Weir said.

Hassan was charged with possession of a controlled substance and operation of a drug factory. He was held on a $30,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court later this month, according to Weir.

Hassan was also charged by the Department of Consumer Protection for possession of unstamped cigarettes and was released on a written promise to appear in court for this charge, Weir said.

According to Weir, Trumbull police assisted the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services with tobacco compliance checks in November, which Tobacco N Cigar passed, however DMHAS investigators noticed a number of illegal products available for sale, some of which had fake tax stamps on them.

Police obtained a search warrant after further investigation, which led to Hassan's arrest, Weir said.

In Connecticut, retailers can legally sell THC products with a total cannabinoid percentage of only 0.3 percent or less. Licensed Connecticut dispensaries are legally permitted to sell THC concentrate with a total cannabinoid percentage of up to 60 percent, according to Weir.

Licensed Connecticut dispensaries are legally permitted to sell Connecticut manufactured THC products only. Nowhere in Connecticut is it legal to sell California THC products or any products containing over 0.3 percent of cannabinoid, Weir said.