Report of children sickened by THC gummies leads to ALE raids at JoCo vape/smoke shops, charges for six+

Jan 30, 2026

An investigation into a report of six juveniles who became “very ill” after consuming THC gummies purchased from a vape shop in Johnston County has led to raids at two vape/tobacco shops and three residences, turning up not just marijuana products far exceeding the legal THC limit, but also cathinone aka khat, a Schedule I controlled substance.

The two owners of the businesses/homes that were searched are among five men named in charges involving conspiracy to traffic marijuana; four out of the five have already been arrested, all five appear to be of Arab or Middle Eastern origin, and one is potentially in the country illegally.

In addition, the two employees present at the shops when they were searched have both been issued summons for lesser charges including for the sale of alcohol without a license.

Left to right: Yaser Abduljalil Mohammed Al Wesabi, Ahmed Ali Almontaser, Mohammed Saleh Ahmed, and Saleh Ali Saleh Hasan

Investigation

According to the search warrants, the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement Division received a complaint on December 10, 2025 about six juveniles who had purchased THC gummies from Prime Vape Shop and Tobacco, after the consumption of which they “became very ill for several days.”

ALE proceeded to make controlled buys of THC products at Prime Vape Shop and Tobacco as well as at Clayton Tobacco Shop, both of which are owned by Ahmed Ali Almontaser as per NC Secretary of State records.

Lab analysis indicated that THC gummies and THC flower product purchased at Prime Vape Shop and Tobacco contained 0.37% THC and 19.00% THC respectively, while two THC flower products purchased at Clayton Tobacco measured at 11.78% THC and 14.55% THC. (The legal limit under North Carolina law is 0.3% THC).

The undercover agent(s) conducting the buys were allegedly told by clerks at both locations that the products could get them “high,” with one telling them that the products “test legal when they get it, but isn’t legal when you smoke it.”

Almontaser is tied to defendant Mohammed Saleh Ahmed through a durable power of attorney filed with the Johnston County Register of Deeds since 2006, allowing Ahmed to conduct business on Almontaser’s behalf. (In addition, two of the thirteen vehicles registered to Ahmed were spotted by ALE surveillance at Almontaser’s residence on multiple days, including a premium Lexus SUV).

In addition to the two business establishments, ALE obtained search warrants for Almontaser’s residence, Ahmed’s residence, and an additional mobile home owned by Almontaser. (All of the searched locations are in northwest Johnston County, in and to the southwest of Clayton).

Search results

The listings of items seized during the searches include documents, electronic devices, cash, firearms, and various THC products, as well as over 3,400 grams of Cathinone (Khat) at Ahmed’s residence and the nearby mobile home.

Although products with a THC concentration of greater than 0.3% are defined as Schedule VI controlled substances under North Carolina law, Cathinone is listed as under the stimulants section of Schedule I.

The khat plant has been used as a psychoactive stimulant in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa for centuries, and a significant illegal trade has been documented among immigrant communities from these nations, such as “Operation Somalia Express” in which federal agents found over $25 million worth of khat being smuggled to “East African immigrant communities” in Seattle.

Charges

The charges against Almontaser and Ahmed include charges of conspiring to possess marijuana with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver as well as the enhanced version of the charge related to the fact that Clayton Tobacco Shop is within 1000 ft. of Clayton High School.

The sets of conspiracy charges for Almontaser and Ahmed name each other as conspirators as well as three additional individuals: Yaser Abduljalil Mohammed Al Wesabi, Saleh Ali Saleh Hasan, and Thabet Alahmedi. These individuals’ connection to Almontaser and Ahmed does not appear to be specified in the publicly released documents.

Al Wesabi and Hasan have also been arrested and are facing matching conspiracy charges, while Alahmedi does not appear to have been arrested as of the publication of this article.

In addition to the marijuana-related charges, Almontaser and Ahmed each face additional charges, including for the Cathinone and the possession of drug paraphernalia.

Almontaser faces the most charges, including for the possession and sale of alcoholic beverages without a license and for defrauding a drug/alcohol test by “possess[ing] adulterants that are intended to be used to adulterate urine sample for the purpose of defrauding drug screening test.”

In addition, both employees listed on the returned warrants as being “in apparent control of the premises searched” have been issued criminal summons, with Tristin Lanee Stewart at the Clayton Tobacco Shop facing two counts of selling alcohol without a permit and William Cephus Strickland III at Prime Vape Shop and Tobacco facing the same, as well as a count of unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm.

Almontaser, Ahmed, and Al Wesabi have been released on total bonds of $155,000, $120,000, and $20,000 respectively, while a magistrate assigned a higher bond of $280,000 for Hasan after noting that he “was unable to determine that the defendant is a citizen or legal resident of the United States.”