NORWALK – Last week, local police discovered marijuana laced with fentanyl during a raid on Zaza Smoke Shop in Norwalk.
The business remains open.
And it’s not the only one. Three other smoke shops in Stamford – Zaza Smoke Shop II, Hope Breeze and Worlds Exotic Smoke Shop – also remain open after being raided by the state and hauled into court.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Norwalk Police Chief James Walsh acknowledged the “alarming increase” in illegal marijuana sales in smoke shops.
“Our investigations have revealed that some smoke shops are illegally selling marijuana and other illicit THC products that consumers believe are safe when they are not,” Walsh’s post said. He urged residents to report outlets that violate state law.
By law, marijuana and high-THC products can only be sold on the regulated market and must meet strict testing and packaging requirements, but authorities claim they have little power to enforce this.
Since 2022, Attorney General William Tong has only initiated 14 enforcement actions against retail stores, suing them for violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practice Act.
When authorities raided three Stamford tobacco shops last year, they seized thousands of illegal products. In one of the shops, investigators discovered a fake electrical panel with a hidden drawer containing marijuana buds, other illegal drugs, wads of cash and a ledger.
In another store hidden above ceiling tiles, investigators found THC products that resembled popular snack foods like Fritos and Skittles — products that are illegal in Connecticut because they pose a risk to children.
According to Tong spokesman Rick Funaro, the state reached a legal settlement with all three smoke shops in May.
Each business was hit with thousands of dollars in civil penalties. Zaza Smoke Shop was sentenced to pay a civil penalty of $60,000, with $35,000 of that suspended. Hope Breeze, which operates the other two smoke shops, paid a civil penalty of $50,000, with $70,000 of the $120,000 penalty suspended.
Funaro said the stores would be allowed to continue operating, but on the condition that they stopped selling illegal products. As part of the agreement, the companies must submit a written statement of compliance to Tong’s office in May 2025.
“They may also be subject to unannounced visits by the Department of Consumer Protection and undercover visits by our office at any time,” Funaro said. He said if the stores are caught selling illegal products, the Attorney General could take them back to court and force them to pay additional fines.
The money from civil penalties paid by tobacco shops goes into the general state treasury rather than to local law enforcement agencies, which often play the primary role in prosecuting illegal sales.
As sellers of e-cigarettes, smoke shops are required by law to obtain a dealer license from the state Department of Consumer Protection. The one-time fee is $75 and the annual fee is $400. However, there is little evidence that the department enforces this.
In fact, the Zaza Smoke Shop in Norwalk, where marijuana laced with fentanyl was found in a raid last week, was operating under an expired license. A DCP spokesman said the agency does not have the authority to shut down an unlicensed business and only gets involved if there is a complaint.
Adam Wood, president of the Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, said the sale of high-potency cannabis products by unlicensed retailers is a problem, but he believes the state will address it.
“The good news is that the state of Connecticut recently passed new legislation that is now going into effect to actually address the problem.”
Wood said that while cannabis is heavily regulated, the rules for similar high-cannabinoid products have been unclear until now. The new law, which takes effect in October, clearly defines what products store owners can legally sell and makes it easier for law enforcement to target outlets that illegally sell high-potency products.
This greater clarity should be helpful, although Wood says it will take some time to fully resolve the problem.
“I believe some of these companies will continue to violate the law,” Wood said. “But at least now they know there are penalties.”
