A major drug investigation is targeting more than a dozen vape shops across the Pittsburgh area, with state agents alleging one man built a 15-store network to sell marijuana and related products illegally. Investigators say Amer Ahmed, who is from Pittsburgh, owned the shops and worked with two men from New York to move the drugs.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office says Ahmed’s vape shops stretched from Glenshaw to Bethel Park and up to New Castle, according to WPXI. AG agents say Ahmed sold marijuana out of the shops while the two men from New York worked as clerks inside them. Investigators have not identified the two men or detailed any response to the allegations.
Undercover Buy Turns Up Gummies and Blunts in Bethel Park
An undercover agent visited Holy Smokes and Vape on Library Road in Bethel Park and reported that the store was selling THC gummies, pre-rolled marijuana blunts and leaf marijuana. The shop displayed a sign reading “No Medical Card Required,” per the same account. Investigators say that setup let customers skip Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program entirely.
Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act, identified by the Department of Health as Act 35 P.S. §§ 10231.101–10231.2110, has governed the state’s legal cannabis program since it was signed into law on April 17, 2016. That law requires a medical card for legal purchases, which is why investigators flagged the “No Medical Card Required” signage as a red flag. Investigators said younger people, including high school students, could obtain the products illegally without a card.
Fifteen Bank Accounts, One Wholesale Company
According to investigators, Ahmed had 15 bank accounts belonging to the vape shops, with each shop transferring its profits to a wholesale company. From there, the wholesale company made large-sum transactions to overseas accounts, individuals, a non-existent vape shop and a coffee shop in New York, agents allege. Investigators say those transactions were designed to conceal the funds…