Connecticut AG secures $4.93 million judgement against smoke shop for selling illegal cann
May 1, 2025
Planet Zaza, an East Haven smoke shop, is subject to the largest civil penalty ever imposed in Connecticut for illegal marijuana sales.
EAST HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has secured a $4.93 million judgement against an East Haven smoke shop and its owner for illegally selling marijuana.
Planet Zaza, located in East Haven on Foxon Road, is subject to the largest civil penalty ever imposed in Connecticut for illegal cannabis sales. The judgment includes Planet Zaza owner Mohamed Alraishani.
Tong made the announcement in a release on Thursday afternoon. He described Planet Zaza’s conduct as egregious.
“The State of Connecticut is not playing around. Legal cannabis is not a free-for-all,” Tong said. “If you are unlicensed, and you sell untested, unregulated cannabis, we will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli emphasized that licensed cannabis establishments are the only businesses allowed to sell cannabis in Connecticut. He thanked Tong and East Haven police for their collaborative efforts before issuing a public reminder.
“Adults who choose to consume cannabis are reminded to make purchases through the regulated market and practice safe consumption and storage,” Cafferelli said.
Tong first sued Planet Zaza and Alraishani in January 2024 for violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. This occurred after multiple surprise inspections conducted by Tong’s office and the state Department of Consumer Protection found numerous high-THC cannabis edibles, including those more potent than any authorized for sale in the state.
Investigators also found unauthorized labels, including fake prescriptions that falsely indicated that the store was a licensed dispensary and that the illegal marijuana products were medical-use cannabis.
However, Tong says the products were not made in a licensed facility or tested in accordance with state law. Many also contained youth-appealing packaging.
According to Tong, the illegal sales continued after the complaint was filed and even progressed after multiple visits from DCP and East Haven police.
On Nov. 12, 2024, a judge issued a temporary injunction, ordering Planet Zaza and Alraishani to stop illegally selling cannabis, but Tong reports that the business and its owner ignored the court order.
Tong’s office sought penalties of $5,000 per day for every day that Planet Zaza and Alraishani had illegal marijuana products for sale in violation of state law.
This week, the court ordered Planet Zaza and Alraishani to pay $5,000 for each of the 621 days that they willfully violated state laws. They also owe $25,000 for each of the 73 days they violated the court’s temporary injunction, amounting to a total civil penalty of $4.93 million.
Tong stressed that residents 21 years old or older can legally possess and consume cannabis in Connecticut, but marijuana products may only be sold in the regulated market and must meet scrupulous testing and packaging requirements.
Despite this, illegal cannabis sales continue in Connecticut. In raids across the state, law enforcement personnel have found a range of illegal marijuana products for sale, including untested and unsafe edibles, blunts, cartridges and THC flower.
The civil judgement levied against Planet Zaza is the largest in state history for illegal cannabis sales but not the first. Before this judgement, Tong obtained judgements worth $300,000 against nine retailers and wholesalers.
New amendments to the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis have made it so that businesses and people selling cannabis without a license are subject to an even larger fine of $30,000.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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