For the third time in less than two years, the local smoke shop, Savvy Smoker, was raided by authorities on March 11 for allegedly selling unlicensed cannabis products and selling to minors.
Westport police detectives and agents from the Connecticut Drug Control Division arrived at 940 Post Road East as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal marijuana sales. During the raid, authorities seized pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) flower canisters, THC resin products, THC vape cartridges and THC edibles, according to the police report.
A store employee, Mohemed Zeine Hedimy, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was arrested and charged with the illegal sale and manufacture of cannabis. He was released on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled for arraignment on March 28 at the Stamford Superior Court.
The Westport Planning and Zoning Commission has prohibited the sale of recreational marijuana in town since 2021, allowing only medical cannabis sales. In November 2023, the commission further tightened regulations by banning new smoke shops from opening within town limits.
This latest raid follows a similar operation in December 2023, when police and state authorities found Savvy Smoker selling illegal marijuana products, vapes, and other unlicensed merchandise. Additionally, in April 2023, the shop’s manager, Omar Aliyhry, 29, of Bronx, N.Y., was arrested and charged with selling and conspiring to sell one kilogram or more cannabis
Despite the ban of recreational use, the store continued to sell and continued growing the issue in the Westport community.
“It’s their job to make sure the people they sell to are over 21, while there is no definitive proof. I believe this incentivizes students from this school to try and buy from there and this is affecting the health of our students,” Westport Police Officer Ed Wooldridge said.
Aside from the illegal distribution, the growing use of cannabis increases public health risk.
“We’re seeing more frequent cases of students using cannabis making it a growing issue. Not particularly at Staples but all throughout Connecticut,” Staples school nurse Anna Fitzpatrick. “The fact that illegal sales are happening in town is concerning because it increases access for minors normalising a harmful substance.”
The case remains under investigation, and additional charges may be forthcoming as authorities review evidence from the latest raid.
