WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE CO. (WOLF) — An ongoing legal battle centered on the West Wyoming kratom plant and a dispute between KB Crash Creations and residents of West Wyoming Borough has officially reached a resolution.

A ruling was issued in the Luzerne County Courthouse on Tuesday morning.

Kratom — a tropical evergreen plant from Southeast Asia, related to the coffee family, that affects the brain by binding to opioid receptors. Residents of West Wyoming Borough reported that odors linked to the substance created a “toxic-like” smell in the area, leading to complaints of burning eyes and tightness in the chest. The odor was traced to KB Crash Creations at 223 W. Sixth Street.

In court, the owner of KB Crash Creations faced 30 quality-of-life citations related to the smell. 14 of those complaints were met with no-contest pleas. The owner agreed to pay $300 for each violation, totaling approximately $4,200, including court costs.

Laura Dennis-Bovani, the special prosecutor representing West Wyoming Borough residents, shared her reaction to the outcome after more than a year of court proceedings.

“We’re pleased with the resolution today. The landlord continues to work with us. The tenants continue to work. They agreed to plead no contest to 14 citations. They are paying the maximum fine. And I think they have an idea now moving forward. And they’ve been doing that. It seems the past couple of months that there’s an obligation to the neighborhood. This isn’t about closing a business down. This is about quality of life,” said Dennis-Bovani.

“If our residents can’t enjoy the outdoors because of something they smell. That simply, first of all, is not fair, and it’s against the law. It’s against the law in West Wyoming. It’s against the law in Wyoming. So that’s where these citations stemmed from. And I am happy that KB Crash seems to recognize that this is an issue in the neighborhood,” said Dennis-Bovani.

Attorney Michael McCarrie, representing KB Crash Creations, said an engineering report has been submitted showing the citrus-related odor from the kratom extraction process, indicating the smell has since been mitigated in the area.

“There were a total of 30 citations. 16 were of strong prejudice. 14. 14, we agreed nolo contendere to. And in response, we also have provided to the court and to Laura the engineering report, which clearly outlines not only the significant steps my client has taken, but the fact it’s been abated,” said McCarrie.

“They have produced engineering reports and reports from their own staff that they’ve gone through great lengths to abate what is a smell that they’ve acknowledged in the air. So, I think this is a first step, and it’s a very big first step in moving forward to create an environment in a neighborhood where everybody can live peacefully, as they should in their own home,” said Dennis-Bovani.

Dennis-Bovani noted that as temperatures rise, she expects the company to maintain its efforts to keep the smell under control.

“My concern is that the weather’s going to change soon. We’ve had people that have been endorsed by virtue of the fact that it’s freezing out all the time. I think when people are outside more, I will have to see as it comes in the next few weeks. They are promising that they’ve done a lot of work to abate the smell, and I truly hope that they did. Because again, this is not about us trying to close a business down. This is about quality of life,” said Dennis-Bovani.

McCarrie said his client remains committed to doing the right thing.

“My client is continuing to do the right thing. And I think there’s obviously a much better relationship between the residents and my client. They’ve done everything they’re supposed to do,” said McCarrie.

The case is now resolved, with KB Crash Creations claiming its commitment to maintaining odor control and paying its violations.