Vape shop owner accused of selling THC-infused products
LAKE WORTH — The owner of a suburban Lake Worth vape shop is facing criminal charges after an oil sold in his shop tested positive for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, authorities say.
According to a report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office, undercover deputies purchased cannabidiol, or CBD, oil three times from The Vaping Store at the corner of Jog and Lantana roads.
The shop’s owner, 56-yearold Robert Cartagine of suburban Lake Worth, was arrested on Wednesday and is facing one count of sale of a controlled substance and one count of possession of property for trafficking or sale of a controlled substance. He was released Thursday after posting $10,000 bail, court records show.
The sheriff ’s office began its investigation into The Vaping Store and its owner after receiving a complaint to Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County that the store was selling products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the report said.
After three undercover purchases of CBD oil that tested positive for THC, the sheriff ’s office obtained a search warrant for the shop, deputies say.
After searching the busi- ness, several of the shop’s CBD products were found to contain THC, the report said. It went on to say Cartagine “had knowledge” that the CBD oil he was selling had low levels of THC in it.
While many CBD products are advertised as THC-free, a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than 20 percent of these products actually contained the illegal psychoactive compound.