Baltimore sheriff raids east side smoke shop, seizes THC, ghost gun
An undercover buy at VIP Smoke Shop led to a raid, where deputies seized illegal THC, suspected cocaine and a ghost gun from an east Baltimore store with a juvenile employee.
East Baltimore’s VIP Smoke Shop, on the 400 block of N. Highland Avenue, has become the kind of storefront neighbors and parents worry about most: a place where deputies say a juvenile employee was behind the counter as illegal THC products, suspected cocaine and a ghost gun were found. The raid turned an ordinary-looking smoke shop into a public-safety issue in a neighborhood already facing pressure over youth access to unregulated cannabis.
Authorities said an undercover deputy sheriff bought suspected cannabis from the shop on June 8, 2026. Testing later showed the product exceeded Maryland’s legal THC limits and was being sold without the required state licensing and regulatory safeguards. Deputies returned with a search warrant on June 10, 2026, and seized additional contraband, including suspected cocaine. Reporting on the case said one of the employees was a juvenile.
The bust came as Baltimore city and state officials have widened enforcement against illegal smoke shops. On June 4, Sheriff Sam Cogen said investigators had seized more than 73 pounds of illegal cannabis products and nearly 18,000 untaxed tobacco products over the prior two weeks. In one enforcement action, officials said they recovered 9 pounds of suspected cannabis and 17,794 tobacco products from a business in the 4700 block of Gwynn Oak Avenue. Marvin Morales, 25, was arrested in that case and charged with possession of cannabis with intent to distribute and distribution of cannabis, while a second person was arrested on an outstanding 2020 warrant for first-degree rape.
At a June 4 press conference, Cogen, Senate President Bill Ferguson, State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and Mayor Brandon Scott presented the crackdown as a coordinated response to community complaints, youth access concerns and neighborhood quality-of-life problems. Cogen has said illegal smoke shops are not licensed dispensaries and undermine legitimate businesses and public health.
The enforcement push also fits into Baltimore’s broader fight against ghost guns. Scott announced a $62 million verdict against Hanover Armory in August 2025 and a settlement in April 2026 that barred the company from selling unserialized gun kits and other devices. Baltimore Police Department data showed ghost gun recoveries fell 24% in 2024 to 294, down from 516 in 2022, but the weapon seized in east Baltimore shows the problem is still reaching neighborhood storefronts.
Baltimore City Council introduced a three-part smoke shop legislative package in October 2025 to reduce youth exposure and improve public safety. For residents around N. Highland Avenue, the VIP Smoke Shop raid is another sign that the city’s smoke shop problem is no longer just about nuisance sales. It is increasingly tied to drugs, guns and the kind of oversight breakdown that can put children and nearby blocks at risk.
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