It was Round 2 of raids against vape shops in Westmoreland County on Friday morning — this time, in Lower Burrell.
Police seized items from three city businesses: Burrell Tobacco and Vape at 3087 Leechburg Road; Discount Vape in the Hillcrest Shopping Center; and a convenience store at 2700 Leechburg Road, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said.
The effort came on the heels of Thursday’s raids by authorities at Vape and Smoke City in Hempfield, EZ Tobacco and Vape in Delmont and The Vape Exscape in Latrobe.
As of Friday afternoon, no charges had been filed in relation to the searches.
Ziccarelli declined to say whether the raids at the businesses were connected, citing the ongoing investigation.
“This investigation has been ongoing for several months,” she said. “Detectives received information that students from several local school districts were caught with THC vapes and vape cartridges and allegedly purchased those cartridges from stores in and around the Westmoreland County area.”
Over those months, detectives bought products that contained the illegal cannabis-derived substance Delta 8 and higher concentration levels of Delta 9 than are allowed under state law.
In Pennsylvania, it’s illegal to sell or consume Delta 8 products, Ziccarelli said. Delta 9 products with a concentration of more than 3% THC are illegal. THC is the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana.
Customers must be 21 or older to purchase legal Delta 9 products.
The three Lower Burrell businesses are in the Burrell School District, but officials did not say whether any of the students caught with the THC vapes and cartridges were from the district.
Burrell Superintendent Shannon Wagner could not be reached for comment Friday.
Lower Burrell police Chief John Marhefka declined to provide specifics on the investigation but said there were a lot of items and cash seized from the businesses.
“This is for the protection of our children,” Marhefka said, “and this is absolutely a step in the right direction.”
Westmoreland County detectives joined in the raid with police from Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Penn Township.
Ziccarelli said Greensburg-based Mutual Aid, an ambulance service that responds to a large portion of Westmoreland County, has responded to at least 15 THC overdoses relative to children between 12 and 16 years old this year. The overdoses required hospital treatment.
Ziccarelli encouraged students to talk with their school resource officers if they see something suspicious, even if it’s not related to drugs.
“It’s really critically imperative that they come forward and they talk to the resource officer; and for parents, talk to your children about it,” she said.
Ziccarelli referenced a similar seizure in Murrysville last year.
In March 2023, authorities collected evidence at PA Vapor & Glassroom on Route 22 in Murrysville after an investigation stemmed from high school students being found with vape and THC pens and from complaints to police about minors allegedly purchasing illegal products at PA Vapor.
There, authorities seized more than 33 pounds of THC in various forms, including leaf, wax, edibles and vape cartridges, and 20 pounds of psilocin-infused chocolate bars, according to court documents. Psilocin is a hallucinogen present in psychedelic mushrooms.
The two owners of that shop and three employees were arrested a year after the raid and accused of selling items containing illicit drugs. Their cases are pending.
“I was hopeful that the last raid we performed in March of 2023 on several vape shops in the area was enough of a warning to owners to remove illegal products, but I was wrong,” Ziccarelli said. “To those who choose to sell these illegal products not only to adults, but to our youth, hear me now: We will continue to investigate and hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”