Minot Smoke Shop Ordered to Stop Selling Illegal Products

(KNOX) -A Minot smoke shop must stop selling illegal products including marijuana and drugs similar to magic mushrooms under an order issued Thursday by the North Dakota attorney general.

Smokes4Less in Minot was selling “misbranded and adulterated products” that violate state laws, Attorney General Drew Wrigley said in a news release.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted an undercover operation at the business and discovered that employees sold multiple products containing marijuana, THC and drugs comparable to the hallucinogenic component in magic mushrooms, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

According to the North Dakota Monitor some products falsely claimed the products were legal and free of controlled substances, according to the news release. The ingredients were determined through testing at the BCI Crime Lab.

“The sale of these products is unlawful, creates a serious risk to the health, wellbeing, and safety of the public, and must stop immediately,” Wrigley said.

The store had been directed to stop selling the unlawful products multiple times, according to Wrigley.

A manager at Smokes4Less and Mohammed Wazwaz, owner of Smokes4Less, were named in the cease and desist order.

In an interview with the North Dakota Monitor, Wazwaz said he disposed of the unlawful products immediately.

“They told me we had to remove it from all of North Dakota, I told them, ‘No problem,’ and removed it right away,” Wazwaz said.

Violations of the order may lead to civil penalties or criminal charges, the order states.

Among the products identified in the cease and desist order are Diamond Shruumz products, which have been linked to one death in North Dakota and illnesses around the country.

The state Department of Health and Human Services on July 3 warned the public to not consume the products, which were recalled by the Food and Drug Administration. The cause of death for the North Dakotan who died after consuming Diamond Shruumz is still under investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday. One additional hospitalization connected to Diamond Shruumz was reported in North Dakota, the department said Thursday.

It is not clear where the people in North Dakota who became sick purchased the Diamond Shruumz products. The products are also available online.

The BCI and the Attorney General’s Office will continue to investigate other instances of unlawful products being sold, Wrigley said. Anyone with information about similar products being sold can call the BCI tip line at 800-472-2185.