RICHMOND, Va. — Nearly three months into Operation Vaporize, the Richmond Department of Planning and Review confirmed to CBS 6 that it is temporarily pausing the multi-agency effort to crack down on convenience stores suspected of code violations or illegal drug activity, due in part to concerns from shop owners affected by the operation.
Shop owners believe that since the launch of the operation, businesses that aren’t associated with illegal activities — such as selling marijuana to minors — have been swept up in the blitz of nearly 100 businesses throughout the city.
Zakarya Maqshar, who has been operating Green Stop Convenience and Vape off Broad Street in Richmond for the past two years, says his doors have been closed for the past two months because of the operation…