Two men arrested as Boise police keep cracking down on smoke shops
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boise police arrest 2 men accused of illegal drug sales at vape shops.
- Officers seized marijuana, THC variants, HHC products and lab equipment.
- Crackdown follows earlier warnings, part of broader enforcement shift in 2025.
Boise police have arrested a man for items found at his Boise smoke shops.
Officers found allegedly illegal items at two branches of Boise Vape, Glass, and Smoke (Hemp World CBD) in the 1700 and 6900 blocks of West State Street, the Boise Police Department said in a Monday news release.
Boise Police said while serving a search warrant on these stores, they found “trafficking amounts of marijuana, Delta 8, 9, and 10 THC products, HHC products and lab materials to manufacture suspected concentrated cannabis products.” Other items police described as “illegal drug paraphernalia” at the stores included “glass bongs, water pipes, marijuana pipes, edibles, marijuana grinders, scales, concealment devices (and) dab rigs.”
Police said that they found evidence indicating the store owner was also selling some items online.
“Boise Police officers provided the business owner … with multiple warnings and education about controlled substances and illegal drug paraphernalia under Idaho law with clear instructions for compliance,” the department said. “Despite months long efforts, the illegal sales continued.”
The 37-year-old business owner from Boise was charged with four felonies for drug-trafficking in marijuana, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, according to court records.
He remained in the Ada County Jail as of Monday afternoon and was unable to be reached by the Idaho Statesman.
A 35-year-old Boise Vape, Glass, and Smoke employee from Boise was charged with three felonies for the delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to deliver, as well as misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use, according to court records.
Arrest latest in Boise police crackdown
Boise police began cracking down on local smoke and vape shops this spring, despite many of them having been open for years without any citations.
Police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman in April that the department had decided to dedicate more time to “reviewing business practices at all local vape and smoke businesses, starting with an ongoing education phase which stops the sale of these products and allows each business time to comply with Idaho code prior to any criminal investigation.”
Many owners were confused, saying law enforcement had never expressed a problem with the sale of these items in the past, and argued that many of their products can be used with legal substances.
“They were OK with it for so long and then all of a sudden flipped the script,” Cody Denton, manager of High Mountain Smoke Shop, told the Idaho Statesman in March.
High Mountain Smoke Shop closed its doors on March 31. Denton said it wasn’t feasible to continue operating without most of its inventory.
Williams said the change in enforcement was sparked by an investigation that resulted in the 2024 arrest of the owner of PB’s C-Store, a convenience store located at 1265 S Capitol Blvd., across from the Boise State campus. PB’s C-Store owner Paramjit Sinh, 50, is facing six felonies relating to delivering or possessing controlled substances or drug paraphernalia.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 6:02 PM.
