WARREN COUNTY, Ohio — Eight raids of VIP Smoke Shop locations in Warren County were conducted Thursday, one day after a VIP Smoke Shop warehouse in Norwood was also raided.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office said it served search warrants at the shops as part of an ongoing investigation into the co-owners of the business.
WCPO 9 News saw investigators conducting a raid at the location off Kings Center Court in Mason.
Warren County Sheriff Barry Riley told WCPO 9 News that investigators believe the shops were selling illegal devices.
In a post on 'X', the Warren County Sheriff's Office said Thursday's raids included stores in Carlisle, Springboro, Lebanon, Deerfield Township, Blanchester, and Mason.
Riley said some vapes sold at the VIP Smoke Shop locations contained an unregulated amount of hash and THC content. He added that some vapes with hash and THC content being sold are also not labeled as such in stores.
Riley said it’s been a long term investigation that stemmed from complaints from parents and other residents.
Hear more about why the raids were conducted Thursday in the video below:
He said their investigation has included purchasing devices from the stores themselves.
Riley said raids were also conducted Wednesday at the business's main warehouse in Norwood. He said that’s where a bulk of the product is stored.
He said the devices confiscated in the raids will now be tested for their content.
If lab reports show the vapes have levels of hash and THC above the threshold allowed to be sold, Riley said the county will “absolutely” pursue charges.
Court documents from October 2024 show the co-owners of the shops, Ismail Sharida and Wael Sharaydeh, were charged in a 60-count criminal indictment in Butler County. A man named Murad Salem was also named as a co-defendant, according to court documents.
Those charges include trafficking in hashish and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Court documents show Sharaydeh owns 75 stores across the Tri-State and has been under investigation in multiple Ohio counties since 2022, including Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, Warren, and Montgomery counties.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed in August 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Sharaydeh's home in April 2023 as part of the investigation into drug trafficking at his vape shops.
They searched his phone and computer and found evidence leading to a child pornography charge and sex trafficking charge, court documents say.
