Products seized during search (via Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office)

The Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Unit has arrested a Pineville man for selling THC products to children. Tommy Carnline of the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office says they first heard about the Pineville Smoke Shop, operated by 40-year-old Ahmed Gaber of Pineville, through several complaints.

“Based on search warrants for the store and his residence, officers and agents found over 2.5 pounds of THC-containing products,” Carnline explains.

The products include THC-infused gummy bears, flour and e-cigarette cartridges. Carnline said officials also allegedly recovered about $7,000 from sales, although they don’t know how many of those sales were specifically to children. He says attitudes toward marijuana have become very lax, and some even believe it’s legal in Louisiana.

“Well, marijuana is not legal,” he says. “THC is not legal. It’s still against the law. And we will enforce the law, especially when it comes to juveniles.”

Gaber was arrested at the Rapides Parish Detention Center on charges of trafficking a Schedule 1 drug (THC) in an amount over 2.5 pounds and released the same day on $10,000 bail. Carnline says parents should not let their children use e-cigarettes or THC products, and he says e-cigarettes in schools are a big problem.

“Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, that’s not cigarettes, that’s not nicotine.’ Well, it’s bad anyway,” he says. “We warn parents to be careful what their children are doing with this stuff.”

The investigation is ongoing as officials have received additional complaints about other stores selling THC and vape products to minors.