Connecticut has reached a record $4.93 million judgment against Planet Zaza of East Haven and its owner, Mohamed Alraishani, following persistent illegal cannabis sales in spite of a court order and repeated law enforcement visits.
State attorney general William Tong said it's the largest civil penalty ever imposed in Connecticut for illegal cannabis sales.
“The State of Connecticut is not playing around. Legal cannabis is not a free-for-all. If you are unlicensed, if you sell untested, unregulated cannabis, we will find you and we will hold you accountable,” he said in a statement.
Tong first sued Planet Zaza and Mohamed Alraishani in January 2024 for violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, after multiple unannounced inspections conducted by the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and Office of the Attorney General found numerous high-THC cannabis edibles, including those more potent than any authorized for sale in Connecticut. Investigators also discovered unauthorized labels, including fake prescription labels falsely indicating that the store was a licensed dispensary and that the illegal products were medical-use cannabis. The products were not produced in a licensed facility or tested in accordance with state law, and many contained youth-appealing packaging.
The state said the illegal sales persisted after the complaint was filed, despite multiple visits from DCP and the East Haven Police Department. On November 12, 2024, the judge issued a temporary injunction, ordering Planet Zaza and Alraishani to cease illegal sales, but Planet Zaza and Alraishani ignored the court’s order.
Due to the egregious nature of Planet Zaza and Alraishani’s misconduct and the ongoing threat to public safety, the court this week ordered Planet Zaza and Alraishani to pay $5,000 for each of the 621 days they willfully violated CUTPA, and $25,000 for each of the 73 days the defendants violated the court’s temporary injunction, for a total civil penalty of $4.93 million.
This is the largest civil judgment levied against a smoke shop for illegal cannabis sales, but not the first. Prior to this judgment, Attorney General Tong obtained judgments totaling $300,000 against nine retailers and wholesalers. Under new amendments to the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis (RERACA), businesses and individuals selling cannabis without a cannabis establishment license are subject to an even greater fine of $30,000 per day.
