In the heart of Bridgeport, Connecticut, three smoke shops — Dubai High, Raads Smoke Shop, and Moralez Market — were abruptly slammed shut following a sweeping police operation that ripped the cover off a thriving underground THC market. What looked like casual corner shops for vape heads and tobacco regulars turned out to be something else entirely: more than 150 pounds of illicit THC products, stacks of cash, two arrests, and a multi-agency takedown that hit like a thunderclap.
The Bridgeport Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice Division, backed by state agencies including Drug Control, Revenue Services, Public Health, Addiction Services, and Labor, swept into the stores on November 10 for what was supposed to be routine compliance checks. What they found wasn’t even close to ordinary smoke-shop inventory.
At Dubai High, officers seized an eye-popping 135 pounds of THC-infused merchandise — a haul that would raise eyebrows even in states where cannabis culture has gone mainstream.
Over at Raads Smoke Shop, investigators pulled 15.86 pounds of THC products, along with $3,000 in cash, and arrested Amr Kaid Alsaidi, 34, who now faces charges including selling a controlled substance and illegal cannabis possession.
Then there was Moralez Market on Kossuth Street — a small corner store hiding a smaller but telling stash: .06 pounds of THC items, along with narcotic residue, digital scales, and $1,241 in cash. The store’s owner, Jenny Francisca Salcedo, 53, was arrested on charges including operating a “drug factory” and narcotics sales.
By the time the dust settled, the Connecticut Department of Labor ordered all three shops closed indefinitely.
Bridgeport Police Sgt. Paul Scillia said the stores were legally registered to sell traditional smoke-shop goods — but crossed the line into the THC market without authorization. And in Connecticut, that’s not a small detail; it’s the difference between a business and a bust.
For Bridgeport, a city where economic pressure and underground trade often collide, these raids feel like more than a simple enforcement sweep. They expose a shadow economy that’s been thriving behind neon signs and glass display cases, quietly blurring the line between legal and outlaw cannabis culture.
When the lights go out in these shops, it’s not just a closure — it’s a glimpse into the evolving, unregulated frontier of THC in Connecticut.
Dabbin-Dad Newsroom
