Wait… Was that a vanilla milk chocolate Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar selling for $5.99? Or a 36.25 percent THC-infused “Häagen-Za” bar selling for $59.99?
What looked at first like an American ice cream staple was actually a highly potent cannabis edible, allegedly on the shelves of the toy-store-imitating smoke shop “Vape R Us” on Wednesday.
By Thursday morning, the “Häagen-Za” bar sat in a garbage bag alongside 100 pounds of other cannabis products seized by police from three smoke shops across the city.
The New Haven Police Department held a press conference at their 1 Union Ave. headquarters Thursday to offer details on three smoke shop raids that took place the day prior. City police conducted those raids alongside state police and the state consumer protection department.
Police said they found approximately 25 pounds of cannabis products inside Vape R Us at 837 Whalley Ave., 25 pounds inside Foxon Smoke Shop at 395 Foxon Blvd., and 50 pounds inside Blue Sky Smoke Shop at 316 Grand Ave. — all smoke shops that are not licensed to sell cannabis products.
The seized products included colorfully packaged edibles, concentrates, vapes, and flower.
According to Police Chief Karl Jacobson, while some of the cannabis was found hidden away, many of the prepackaged products were on display for customers to peruse.
The three stores were targeted in part due to complaints from neighbors, according to Lt. David Guliuzza, who helped spearhead the operation. In the case of Grand Avenue’s Blue Sky Smoke Shop, he said, police selected that store because a minor had been arrested a few days prior for possessing an illegal gun.
The shops were not shut down on Wednesday, although according to Guliuzza, the state is looking to revoke the stores’ tobacco licenses.
“No arrests were made on site yesterday, as we will be submitting arrest warrants for those working as well as the owners of these establishments,” said Jacobson.
“We’re gonna continue to do this,” Jacobson said of the raids, “so if you’re one of these shops, don’t continue to sell illegal products.”
The officials stressed that the products found are unregulated and untested, meaning that the concentration and quality of each product isn’t verified. Jacobson pointed to a 2024 raid of an East Haven garage that revealed counterfeit pills laced with extremely potent synthetic opioids, noting that unregulated cannabis products could be laced with fentanyl or other potentially deadly drugs.
Several of the products advertised cannabis quantities that exceed state limits. As of Oct. 24, the state requires that “the standard serving of an edible cannabis product shall contain not more than five milligrams of total THC,” and that products with a THC concentration higher than 30 percent feature a label stating, “This is a high-potency cannabis product and may increase the risk of psychosis.”
One product allegedly found at Vape R Us was a “Wonka Bar” styled after the children’s book classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was advertised on the packaging as containing 1,000 milligrams of cannabinoids.
Meanwhile, on a website purporting to be the official manufacturer of the cannabis-infused “Wonka Bars,” the bars are marketed as containing 300 milligrams of cannabinoids — which, the website states, is a “high dosage” that according to the company is “perfect for those with a higher tolerance or seeking more intense effects.”
That “high dosage” is less than a third of the advertised potency of the chocolate bar actually found in Vape R Us.
Asked about the allegations, an employee who answered the phone at Vape R Us said that said he wasn’t at the stop yesterday, that he had no comment on the police allegations, and that he would reach out to the store’s manager and owner to find out more.
An employee answering the phone at Foxon Smoke Shop similarly, “I wasn’t here yesterday.” He said he doesn’t know if the store sells cannabis products; he said the owner wasn’t available to comment.
Phone calls to Blue Sky Smoke Shop went unanswered with no voicemail option set up.
State Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell Higgins argued at Thursday’s presser that many of the edibles found were “designed to appeal to minors,” noting that “many of these products are designed to look like popular snacks.”
Mayor Justin Elicker urged adults who want to consume cannabis products to go to a licensed dispensary, instead of purchasing unregulated drugs that “could have all types of consequences, including death.”
After the press conference came to a close, he took out his phone to take photographs of the candy-imitating products.
“I’m gonna show these to my kids,” Elicker said. “I’m terrified they’re gonna see something at school and think it’s candy.”