On February 12, 2021, investigators from the Danbury Police Department's Special Investigations Division, assisted by the Patrol Division, conducted under-age compliance checks of six local tobacco/vape shops.
As the law prohibits retailers from selling these and other related products to persons under the age of 21, we used cadet volunteers under the age of 21 to enter the shops and attempt to make purchases.
It should be known that this compliance check was in response to countless complaints reported concerning blatant sales of tobacco/vape products being sold to persons under the age of 21. Records indicate that the Cloud House at 60 Newtown Rd. was the shop most complained about.
The six locations included
• Danbury Smoke Shop, 128 Federal Rd.
• Resistance Vapor & Smoke Shop, 12 Mill Plain Rd.
• Twilight Vapor & CBD Shop, 10 Hayestown Ave.
• The Smoking Samurai, 35 White St.
• Buttheads Tobacco Emporium, 5 Padanaram Rd
• Cloud House, 60 Newtown Rd.
As a result of the completed compliance check, all but the Cloud House asked for identification from the cadet volunteers and refused to sell their products to people under the age of 21.
In all, Cloud House owner received violations for 3 separate sales, which he made without asking for identification. He made two independent sales to cadet volunteers and one to a 17-year-old, which investigators witnessed when entering the shop to take enforcement action for the earlier sales. It should be noted, during the time investigators were taking enforcement action against the owner of cloud house, at least five persons under the age of 21 entered the shop in an attempt to make purchases.
Charged:
Saed Alkasaji
60 Newtown Rd.
Danbury, CT
Offenses - Illegal Sale of Electronic Cigarettes 53-344b(b) 1st. (3cts)
Kudos to:
• Danbury Smoke Shop, 128 Federal Rd.
• Resistance Vapor & Smoke Shop, 12 Mill Plain Rd.
• Twilight Vapor & CBD Shop, 10 Hayestown Ave.
• The Smoking Samurai, 35 White St.
• Buttheads Tobacco Emporium, 5 Padanaram Rd
Thanks for your compliance with state law and refusing to sell tobacco/vape products to persons under the age of 21.
Prepared and released by Det. Lt. Mark Williams
D