Crackdown Hits Danbury Vape Shops—CT AG Makes Announcement on I-95

Connecticut is currently in the midst of a sweeping statewide crackdown on vape shops found selling illegal cannabis products—many of which are dangerously marketed toward children.

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On the Thursday (4/10/25) edition of the I-95 Morning Show, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves joined us in studio to break major news: a significant drug bust involving multiple Danbury vape shops. In fact, they chose our show to make the announcement before informing the rest of the local media. The coordinated effort across multiple departments resulted in the seizure of 55 pounds of cannabis from the streets of Hat City. Here’s what they had to say.

Mayor: "We're going after criminals. In just a little bit, we're going to make the formal announcement, so you and your listeners are hearing it first. We just made a bust, where we shut down three vape shops that were selling illegal products. We seized 55 pounds of illegal cannabis and got it off the streets. These three shops have violated numerous criminal and civil statutes—illegal drug sales, underage sales, labor violations, and tax violations. We will not tolerate this in Danbury, and I know the Attorney General will not tolerate it across our state. We are proud, and I'm so thankful for the work of the Attorney General, the State Police Department, the Danbury Police Department, and so many other state agencies, including our good friend at DRS (Department of Revenue Services) Mark Boughton—his agency is part of this as well. Thank you to all involved. We are getting these dangerous products off our streets. We don't know where they're coming from, but selling them to kids is inexcusable. If you're doing that, we will come for you. We will find you, and we will prosecute you. We are also exploring other actions we can take as a city, including considering moratoriums on these vape shops. They are a nuisance, and people are tired of seeing them on every other road. We know what's going on, and we will stop you."

Lou: Just to recap—you heard it here first, an I-95 Morning Show exclusive: three local Danbury vape shops have committed massive violations. They were repeatedly marketing to kids, selling to underage individuals, and distributing illegal cannabis. And again, to the Mayor's point—you don’t know what’s in these products.

AG William Tong: "Yeah, this is part of a statewide crackdown—this isn't our first set of raids. There have been raids across the state, including in my hometown of Stamford, which was the most recent one we announced. It’s a full-scale crackdown, and people need to understand: if you're breaking the law, we're going to come for you. You will face criminal and civil penalties, and at the end of the day, we might put you out of business. What we’re seeing, unfortunately, is a proliferation of illegal products—everything from marijuana flower to vapes to edibles. These are bootleg products, often disguised as common snack foods like Doritos and Cheetos, and they're designed to appeal to kids. What’s happening now is that kids are getting their hands on these untested, unsafe bootleg edibles. They think they’re eating Airheads or Skittles or something similar, they eat the whole bag—and guess what happens? They end up in the hospital."

Shops found in violation include Star Rose Vape & Smoke Shop at 2-4 Mill Ridge Road, All the Smoke at 6 Ives Street, and CT Smoke House at 10 Mill Plain Road.

You can listen to our complete two-part interview with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong below.

Part 1 - The AG answers a listener text who was angry about Eversource. We also learned about "Tong Tastings" and the AG's favorite hobby. 

Part 2 - The AG discusses the Danbury bust and statewide crackdown. He also chats about the rising political star of Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves. 

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Here are some photos from the press conference they held later that morning to inform the "rest of the local media."

We're not taking the picture without Taylor.