27°
Undercover buys led to the discovery in plain view of 360 THC products during a raid at the BP station on the southbound highway just past the Route 202 interchange, Mahwah Police Capt. Guido Bussinelli said.
Police arrested the owners -- Murat Ozen, 54, of Paramus, and his sons, Selim Devia, 32, of East Rutherford and Muhammed Ozen, 24 of Paramus -- he said.
All three were charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute THC oil, maintaining a nuisance and a 1939 municipal ordinance that prohibits any type of cannabis business in the township, the captain said.They were then released pending Feb. 23 first appearances in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
The investigation began with an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen who reported witnessing active sales of illegal THC products to minors at the BP, Bussinelli said. Detectives then spotted “numerous underage individuals” going in and out of the store, he said.
The undercover purchases followed before the investigators obtained a search warrant for the Feb. 8 raid, the captain said.
Participating, he said, were Mahwah Detective LTs Kevin Herbert and David Vega, Detective Sgt. Eric Larsen, Detectives Christopher Fasulo and Tim Letavish, Sgt. Kevin McCombs and Officers Michael Gioiosa, Brian Joyce, and Nicole DiPasquale.
In addition to the 360 THC products, police seized more than $3,000 in alleged proceeds from the illegal sales, Bussinelli said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Highland Lakes-Vernon and receive free news updates.
