Another alleged Kush shop targeted
County attorney, AG sue business accused of selling synthetic drugs
Another Harris County smoke shop accused of selling synthetic cannabinoids known as Kush has been targeted by county and state law enforcement officials.
Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, on behalf of the state and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, sued the Happie Hippie Smoke Shop as well as three associated individuals this week.
The civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday, seeks temporary and permanent injunctions against the business, alleged investor Michelle Hartman and accused former operators Esam AliHasan and James Ayling for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and Texas nuisance laws by selling the synthetic drug.
Undercover operation
The smoke shop, which is now closed, was located in a north Harris County strip mall in the 8900 block of North Freeway near West Gulf Bank.
Ayling and Ali-Hasan were both charged with felony drug charges this year following a Houston Police Department undercover investigation in January that found synthetic cannabinoids at the store and a processing operation in an apartment shared by the men, according to the petition.
The lawsuit said that “Ayling informed that the Happie Hippie Smoke Shop made around $30,000 a month from synthetic marijuana” and that the BMW Ali-Hasan drove “was purchased with cash from sales made at Happie Hippie Smoke Shop with the majority of sales coming from synthetic marijuana purchases.”
Ayling, 26, was charged in January with one count of felony possession with intent to deliver synthetic cannabis and was arrested again in April on the same charge. He was sentenced to five years of probation on each count.
Ali-Hasan, 27, was indicted on a synthetic drug possession felony charge in March. His case remains unresolved.
Hartman, 47, has not faced any criminal charges.
In September, a similar suit obtained restraining orders against three Spice Boutique smoke shops and their owners.
Recent settlement
The court actions follow a June overdose of Kush in an area of Houston’s Hermann Park coined “Kush Corner” that sent 16 people to the hospital. Officials also have asked the court to shut down those three stores for one year for violating Texas law by selling synthetic marijuana.
Katz Boutique, a local chain of smoke shops and adult novelty stores, and its owners reached a $1.175 million settlement in August with authorities. The penalty is the largest ever for a case involving the sale of synthetic cannabinoids, according to the county attorney’s office.
The resolution stemmed from a 2015 petition, jointly filed by the state and Harris County, which was the first in Texas to use the DTPA in a drug nuisance suit to stop the sale of synthetic cannabinoids.
In August, a Harris County District Court judge entered a final judgment against nine Houston-area Katz stores prohibiting the sale of all synthetic drugs, including fake cannabis. Any location that violates the order will be closed for one year.