State and federal agents seized 7,636 illegal nicotine and cannabis products in raids on 28 shops across Arkansas earlier this month, part of effort to enforce a 2025 law restricting vape products, the state Department of Finance and Administration announced Thursday.
Agents from the department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Little Rock office visited the retailers from March 5-17 based on previously gathered information, according to a news release from the state agency.
"It's certainly not a SWAT operation, but they are coming in unannounced with the knowledge that these places had illicit or non-compliant products," said agency spokesman Scott Hardin.
All of the retailers were in Central Arkansas, including some in Hot Springs, or Northwest Arkansas, Hardin said, although he declined to name any of them because the agency has yet to send notices of the permit violations to the retailers. The operations will result in some criminal charges related to possession of controlled substances, the release said without giving details.
Read more at Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
