OLATHE, Kan. — The Olathe Police Department, with the assistance of the Kansas Department of Revenue, conducted warrant services at four gas stations and vape stores on March 7.

The warrant services were due to alleged sales of illegal THC.

District Attorney Steve Howe said the four stores were targeted because information came in accusing them of selling to teenagers. The Olathe Police Department seized products that could have THC. The seized items have been sent to the Johnson County Crime Lab for testing.

“I think it’s important for people in Kansas and Johnson County to realize that minors can’t possess these (THC products), even in the state of Missouri, where it’s legal to have THC,” Howe explained.

“Any time we have those situations where minors are possessing or buying those products from a certain store, we’re going to take a very proactive approach.”

Snaps Food Mart on Ridgeview and Kansas City Rd. was one location raided on March 7.

On Monday, the owner of the Ridgeview store claimed he didn’t know anything he sold might have been illegal. He also claimed that education about legal versus illegal products is lacking.

However, District Attorney Steve Howe says that in 2022, businesses in the county selling vape products received a letter explaining what could and could not be sold.

“Back in 2022, we notified a lot of the stores that were selling these vapes about the current status of the law and explained to them what they could or could not sell based on Kansas statutes. So we had placed everybody on notice about those types of things,” Howe said.

Since that notice, officials have been monitoring the situation.

“So they could advise or at least check their products and their legal counsel to make sure they were complying with state law. So this idea that no one knew that this was coming or that they were not aware of what the state statutes were. That’s why we issued those letters to all the businesses in the county that were selling those types of items,” Howe said.

According to the Olathe Police Department, criminal charges could be filed pending the test results of the seized products.

“All the science says that teenagers ingesting levels of THC is harmful to their brain and, I’m not going to allow that when all the science says that it’s harmful. Plus, the law doesn’t allow it,” Howe explained.

“We’re going to take a proactive approach. I appreciate all the police department’s work on this.”

The Olathe Police Department continues to investigate this case. Anyone with information about this investigation should call OPD at (913)-971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816)-474-8477.