3 Danbury vape shops busted | 55 pounds of illegal cannabis seized, AG Tong reports
April 11, 2025
A raid on Danbury smoke shops was orchestrated by the state and city last Friday. Three shops allegedly violated numerous criminal and civil statutes.
DANBURY, Conn. — When state and local officials orchestrated a raid on Danbury smoke shops last Friday, they seized approximately 55 pounds of illegal marijuana from three businesses that allegedly violated numerous criminal and civil statutes.
According to Attorney General William Tong, the shops were complicit in illegal drug sales, underage sales, labor violations and tax violations.
The raids were conducted together by Tong’s office, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, the Danbury Police Department, Connecticut State Police, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the state Department of Labor and state Department of Revenue Services.
The shops that were allegedly found in violation include Star Rose Vape & Smoke Shop at 2-4 Mill Ridge Road, All the Smoke at 6 Ives St. and CT Smoke House at 10 Mill Plain Road.
RELATED: Connecticut smoke shop busted again for selling cannabis; more arrests expected, police say
Ronnie Priar, who owns All the Smoke, was arrested that day and charged with operating a drug factory and the sale of one kilogram or more of cannabis.
“Legal cannabis is not a free-for-all,” Tong said in a release. “If you are unlicensed, if you sell untested, unregulated cannabis, if you sell to minors, we will know and we will hold you accountable. We will continue to work in lock step with our law enforcement partners throughout the state and local government to protect public safety.”
Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves thanked all the departments and agencies that were involved in planning and carrying out the raid. He said that restoring safety to Danbury and eliminating these risks to the city’s children are his utmost priority because criminal activities are not tolerated under his administration.
“That’s why I have added more police officers and resources to our budget year-over-year,” Alves said. “Enforcement does not stop here. I will be working with [Tong] on strengthening our legal right to enforce penalties and further action on businesses caught selling unregulated, illegal substances in Danbury.”
Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell Higgins said that the state is united in its mission to attack the illegal sale of cannabis.
“Working together, we will continue to send a clear message that this is unacceptable in our communities,” he said.
Bryan Cafferelli, commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection, thanked the agencies for working together jointly to prioritize public health and safety and, most importantly, the safety of children.
“Government works best when we work together, and these joint efforts are a great example of that,” Cafferelli said. “As always, we remind adults 21 and older who choose to consume cannabis to do so legally and responsibly.”
According to Tong, Star Rose operates under the same ownership as Zaza Smoke Shop 2, which has been existing under a stipulated judgement with Tong’s office after previous violations.
In 2024, Zaza paid a $25,000 civil penalty to the state and is now subject to a suspended civil penalty of another $35,000 if found in violation of the judgement. Tong said his office is currently looking at all legal options to enforce the judgement. This could include filing a motion for contempt in Superior Court.
In Connecticut, residents 21 years old or older can legally possess cannabis. Cannabis products, however, can only be sold in the regulated market after meeting strict testing and packaging requirements.
It continues to be illegal to sell cannabis products outside of the regulated market, and sellers are subject to both civil and criminal penalties.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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