NC shop owners charged after minors allegedly overdose on THC gummies
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- ALE agents allege one store sold THC gummies to minors who later overdosed.
- Operators Ahmed Almontaser and Mohammed Ahmed face dozens of charges.
- Searches of their properties discovered thousands of marijuana products and other drugs.
A Johnston County store owner and his business partner are facing drug trafficking charges after an investigation into the alleged sale of potent CBD gummies to minors.
Ahmed Ali Almontaser, 42, and Mohammed Saleh Ahmed, 45, were arrested Jan. 22 after an investigation by North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agents, according to court documents.
The probe began last month after investigators received a complaint that six minors had bought 1,000 milligram THC gummies from Almontaser’s store, Prime Vape in Garner, according to search warrants.
“After consuming the THC Gummies, the juveniles allegedly became very ill for several days,” an agent wrote.
An undercover ALE agent purchased THC gummies and THC flower from Prime Vape in December, according to the warrants. Lab testing showed both products were above the legal limit in North Carolina, with the gummies containing 0.37% THC and the flower containing 19% THC, the warrants state.
Hemp products in North Carolina must contain 0.3% or less of delta-9 THC by dry weight, according to the UNC School of Government. Anything stronger is considered marijuana, which is not legal for recreational use in the state.
Two THC flower products purchased by an undercover agent at Clayton Tobacco Shop, which Almontaser also owns, tested at similarly high rates, according to the warrants. One product contained 11.78% THC, while another contained 14.55%, the warrants state.
A Clayton Tobacco Shop employee reportedly told the agent the flower product would “test legal when they get it, but isn’t legal when you smoke it,” according to search warrants.
During a search of Clayton Tobacco Shop, a search warrant shows that ALE agents seized:
- At least 237 bags of THC flower.
- $474 in cash.
- 17.5 grams of loose marijuana in a plastic bag.
- 95 bottles of liquid kratom.
- A box of 3 ounce bottles of fake urine.
- Six chocolate mushroom bars.
And, according to court documents, a search of one of Almontaser’s properties in Clayton found:
- More than 800 packages of different quantities of THC flower.
- At least 215 mushroom gummy packages.
- 1,285 grams of cathinone, AKA “khat,” commonly known as bath salts.
- 863 grams of “miscellaneous marijuana products.”
- At least 72 mushroom chocolate bars.
Meanwhile, a search of Ahmed’s home in Clayton yielded more than 2,100 grams of cathinone, also known as bath salts; thousands of dollars in cash and two pistols, according to a search warrant.
Court records show Almontaser was subsequently charged with:
- Eight counts of conspiring to possess marijuana with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute.
- Eight counts of conspiring to possess marijuana with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute within 1,000 feet of a school (Clayton High School).
- Three counts of possession of marijuana with intent to manufacture, sell, or distribute.
- Two counts of manufacturing/selling/distributing/possessing a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school (Clayton High School).
- Three counts of maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance.
- Possession of drug paraphernalia.
- Possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
- Three counts of felony possession of marijuana.
- Possession of a Schedule I controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute.
- Four counts of possessing/selling an alcoholic beverage without a permit.
- Defrauding a drug or alcohol test.
Ahmed faces four counts of conspiring to possess marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or distribute marijuana; four counts of doing so within 1,000 feet of a school; and one count each of maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance with intent to sell, manufacture or distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, court records state.
But this isn’t the first time either man has been accused of a similar crime.
Court records indicate Almontaser has been charged with similar offenses at least 11 times in North Carolina between 2005 and 2021. He pleaded guilty in October 2004 to selling/distributing tobacco products to a minor in Lenoir County.
Ahmed was charged with selling or giving a malt beverage or unfortified wine to someone under 21 in February 2007 in Clayton, but that charge was dismissed in April 2007, court records show.
When Almontaser faced similar charges in 2012, he claimed he’d been deceived by the company he had purchased the products from, The News & Observer reported in April 2012. Almontaser said the company claimed the products were legal in North Carolina, but a Clayton police captain said he’d sold synthetic cannabinoids at his store knowing they’d recently become controlled substances under state law, according to the article.
An August 2024 search of Prime Vape also uncovered 22 glass jars of marijuana and assorted “drug paraphernalia,” ALE agents wrote in court documents. It’s not clear if anyone was charged as a result of that search.
Both men were out of jail as of Monday afternoon. Ahmed posted $75,000 secured bond and Almontaser posted $155,000 secured bond the day of their arrest, according to court records.
