12-06-2025
Task Force raids ‘Tobacco and Vape' stores in Randolph, Upshur counties
ELKINS, (WBOY) — Law enforcement officers say they recovered a quarter ton of illegal products when raiding five vape shops in north central West Virginia last week.
According to a release, on June 5, members of the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force served search warrants at five Tobacco and Vape stores in Randolph and Upshur counties after receiving reports that minors under 18 were purchasing Delta 8 and Delta 9 products, as well as other illegal products that these stores were selling.
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As part of a joint operation with several area law enforcement agencies, task force members raided these stores, where they seized around 500 pounds of illegal or banned products with a street value of around $500,000. Law enforcement officers also seized a 'large sum' of cash.
The release said that the investigation is ongoing in this case and that arrests are forthcoming.
Task force members were assisted by the Buckhannon and Elkins Police Departments, Barbour, Lewis, Randolph and Upshur County Sheriff's Departments, West Virginia State Police, and Task Force Officers with the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This is not the first raid performed on vape shops in north central West Virginia. In July 2024, a man was arrested and charged with drug distribution after law enforcement raided two vape stores in Elkins and found $30,000 worth of drugs. In March 2025, law enforcement raided a similar shop in Kingwood and found suspected marijuana and a 'large amount of cash.'
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