ATLANTA — An eight-month joint investigation into the sale of illegal THC products resulted in the arrest of several Yemeni nationals and the seizure of illegal items, state and local officials announced Friday.
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Law enforcement officers from the Georgia Department of Agriculture and three county sheriff’s offices served eight simultaneous search warrants at four retail smoke shops in Blackshear, Jesup and Ludowici on Monday.
The four retail smoke shops, all owned by Yemeni nationals, were found selling products that violated state law, according to state officials. Seized items included marijuana falsely labeled as hemp flower and THCA products banned under Georgia’s Senate Bill 494.
The joint law enforcement action brought together the Georgia Department of Agriculture alongside Pierce County Sheriff Ramsey Bennett, Wayne County Sheriff Robert E. “Chuck” Moseley and Long County Sheriff Craig Nobles.
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Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper praised the law enforcement officers involved in the operation and emphasized the state’s regulatory position.
“I am incredibly proud of the work our officers did to protect Georgians by getting these illegal, potentially harmful products off the shelf,” Harper said. “We have zero tolerance for the sale of illegal THC products in Georgia. Whether they’re foreign-born or homegrown, we will continue to hold bad actors accountable to the fullest extent of the law, while supporting the retailers, growers and processors who maintain full compliance with the rules we established to ensure these products are safe, tested, accurately labeled and not sold to children.”
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