PORTLAND — One employee was arrested and three smoke shops were closed Thursday after regulators found tobacco and labor law violations during surprise inspections, police said.
The Portland Police Department identified the locations in a news release as King Smokers on Main Street, Portland Smoke Shop on Marlborough Street and Portland Convenience on Main Street.
Police said officers found more 35 pounds of cannabis and related products, various amounts of synthetic mushroom gummies and Kratom, a Schedule 1 controlled substance, while searching King Smokers.
Police said King Smokers employee Salman Rezq Amer, 24, of the Bronx, New York, was charged with the illegal sale of one kilogram or more of cannabis and possession of a controlled substance.
The arrest took place after police received numerous complaints of illegal products and marks the fourth time in the last year that an employee of King Smokers has been charged with making an illegal sale, according to police.
The inspections were conducted with the help of agents from the state Department of Consumer Protection, Department of Labor and Department of Revenue Services, police said.