Sixth Precinct Arrests Multiple Retailers for Selling Flavored Vapes to Under-21

More than $1,000 worth of flavored vape products was seized from East Northport Smoke Shop, 250B Larkfield Road, as part of compliance checks conducted by the Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Investigative Unit, TBR News Media reported. TBR said officers issued Field Appearance Tickets to suspects tied to that location and scheduled their arraignments at First District Court in Central Islip.

Officers with the Sixth Precinct checked 18 businesses during the operation, Daily Voice and TBR reported, acting after community complaints about tobacco and vape sales. The sweep covered multiple corridors in the precinct, Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station, Coram and Medford, and Jericho Turnpike and Larkfield Road in East Northport, Commack and Huntington, where undercover investigators worked to document alleged sales to underage customers.

Patch reported that four people were charged in Port Jefferson Station for selling flavored vape products to people under 21. Patch listed a 28-year-old from Brooklyn employed at Elite Tobacco Shop on Route 112, a 25-year-old from Farmingville employed at Speedy Mart on Route 112, a 41-year-old from Port Jefferson Station employed at Rare Clouds Smoke Shop on Route 112, and a 29-year-old from Mt. Sinai employed at Port Smoke and Vape Shop on Old Town Road; Patch said each was charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child, second degree, a misdemeanor.

Daily Voice named five employees arrested in Coram and Medford and said the arrests took place on Sunday, Jan. 18. Daily Voice identified Tirth Prakash Shah, 29, of Syosset, an employee of GasCon at 443 Middle Country Road, Coram; Steylon Ventura-Santos, 32, of Coram, an employee of Chico’s Smoke Shop at 3663-5 Route 112, Medford; Chaman Joshi, 63, of Coram, an employee of Sunoco Gas at 3423 Route 112, Coram; Yousef Islam, 35, of Centereach, an employee of USA Gas at 3173 Route 112, Medford; and Mehmet Kurt, 24, of Port Jefferson, an employee of Puff Club Smoke Shop at 1879 Route 112, Coram. Daily Voice said each was charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child, second degree, was issued a desk appearance ticket, and is scheduled to appear at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

TBR listed additional defendants across East Northport, Commack and Huntington. TBR identified Siul Cruz, 23, of Central Islip, as an employee of Highr Smoke Shop at 2066 Jericho Turnpike; Rajendrakumar Patel, 56, of Fresh Meadows, Queens, as an employee of East Northport Smoke Shop at 250B Larkfield Road; and Gaurang Upadhyay, 57, of Rocky Point, as an employee of a smoke shop at 6316 Jericho Turnpike, Commack, all three were issued Field Appearance Tickets and face arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip, TBR said. TBR also named Harjinder Singh, 22, of Queens, an employee of Huntington Smoke Vape at 1730B East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington, charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child, second degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, fourth degree; and Paramjit Singh, 37, of Commack, an employee of Evolve Smoke Shop at 2066 Jericho Turnpike, East Northport, charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child, first degree, for selling alcohol to a minor and Unlawfully Dealing with a Child, second degree, for selling vapes to a minor.

The reporting outlets do not provide a single consolidated arrest total: Patch reported four charged in Port Jefferson Station, Daily Voice reported five arrests in Coram and Medford on Jan. 18, and TBR listed additional names across East Northport, Commack and Huntington. CNYCentral framed the public-health rationale behind such operations, saying, “The sale of flavored nicotine vape products to minors is not only a violation of the law but also poses serious health risks to our youth. These products contain addictive substances that can have detrimental effects on the developing brains and overall well‑being of young individuals.”

Comparable enforcement activity in other jurisdictions underscores similar tactics: in Wiggins, Mississippi, Staff Sgt. Jarred Havard told WDAM, “We installed this operation last Thursday,” and that investigators planned the sweep about two months earlier; Havard added, “Comments and complaints from the public come in regularly regarding them (families) finding their child, nephew or grandchild in possession of tobacco and vape products,” and that employees “are subject to the state fines associated with that, as well as court costs” and “are mandated to come and appear before the Wiggins Municipal Court in a few months and answer for those charges against them.” That Mississippi operation was separate from Suffolk County’s checks.