On Friday February 12, officers from the Danbury Police Department's Special Investigations Division and Patrol Division conducted an Underage Compliance check  around the city. The police used cadet volunteers who were under 21 to try and make purchases of tobacco products from 6 local shops. This compliance check was set up due to numerous complaints of blatant underage sales. The cadet volunteers were sent in to:

  • Cloud House - 60 Newtown Road
  • Twilight Vapor & CBD Shop - 10 Hayestown Ave
  • Danbury Smoke Shop - 128 Federal Road
  • Buttheads Tobacco Emporium - 5 Padanaram Road
  • Resistance Vapor & Smoke Shop - 12 Mill Plain Road
  • The Smoking Samurai - 35 White Street

According to the Danbury Police, their records indicate that Cloud House located at 60 Newtown Road had received the most complaints.

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It was reported that they were the only establishment out of the six that failed to ask for ID and sold tobacco products to two underage cadets. Danbury Police have charged the Cloud House owner, Saed Alkasaji, with three counts of Illegal Sale of Electronic Cigarettes. According to the report, Alkasaji allegedly sold products to two cadets himself and also to a 17-year-old who just happened to be in the building. During the investigation at Cloud House, at least 5 other underage kids entered the store to try and make a purchase.

It is illegal in the State of Connecticut for retailers to sell tobacco, and it's related products, to anyone under the age of 21. Danbury Police Detective Lieutenant Mark Williams who prepared the press release then goes on to legitimately offer kudos to the 5 shops that refused sales to the cadet volunteers. Nice job guys, as a former tobacco user myself, I wish shop owners like you were around back in the 80's and 90's when I struggled with nicotine addiction. It might have saved me thousands of dollars.

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