Allen vape shops' workers "traumatized" by police raids, says attorney

ALLEN – A raid on vape shops in Allen left owners and employees "traumatized," according to an attorney for the Allen Hemp Coalition.

"We think it's absolutely horrendous," said David Sergi, who represents eight of the nine locations targeted Tuesday.

Five people were arrested as police searched properties. Sergi said that when police sent a letter to businesses in May raising concerns, the stores voluntarily took the mentioned products off their shelves. This time, he said, police chose a different approach.

"Rather than getting guidance and partnership from the Allen Police Department, we have gotten arrested, we have had clients whose stores have been destroyed, we have employees whose computers have been taken," he said.

Allen police deny they destroyed anything and have accused the shops of knowingly selling products with well over the legal limit of THC to both adults and minors.

Sergi argued that state labs police used aren't equipped to distinguish between legal and illegal forms of cannabis. He said that, much like liquor stores, hemp stores can't reasonably be expected to independently test all their products.

"When we purchase product from our distributors and manufacturers, it comes with a certificate of analysis. That certificate of analysis tells us what the manufacturer believes is in the product. If we have a product that tests outside that limit, we want to know about it. We want to work with law enforcement, not against law enforcement," he said.

Sergi said that while there's no law against selling hemp products to minors, many shops voluntarily choose not to.

When asked about the attorney's comments, a spokesperson for Allen police said the department tried working with store owners, offering to provide advice about which products might pose a problem. Not all, he said, took them up on it.