GALVESTON, Texas – A six month long investigation led to the arrest of a Galveston smoke shop owner and the seizure of $1.6 million. Sheriff’s detectives raided three Hazy Daze smoke shops.
Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen said detectives spent months documenting the illegal sale of synthetic and organic psychedelic drugs. Detectives arrested Hazy Daze owner, Shlomi Wolraich, 43, during a raid at the business on Strand at Moody.
Wolraich has been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and money laundering. He is being held in the Galveston County jail without bond.
Investigators said the products contained tryptamine, which can be used in the production of psilocybin. Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady said the synthetic drugs were packaged and sold as supposedly legal edibles and vapes. He said the organic drugs were grown as mushrooms in the back of the business on Strand and sold under the counter.
“The the problem with these drugs is that they’re marketed in such a way as to be attractive to minors and juveniles and young people, and they are highly addictive. And so this was an operation that was, in some cases, very much out in the open and available for the public to access and then also being done surreptitiously for those people who knew what to ask for,” Roady said.
Fullen said $1.6 million was seized from a bank account connected to the “sale and distribution of illegal substances.”
The Sheriff’s Office said four other people were also charged:
- Brice Knight was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon. His bond was set at $1,500.
- Alejandro Ramirez was charged with possession of a controlled substance (one to four grams). His bond was set at $5,000.
- Brandon Bell was charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. His bond was set at $100,000.
- Cassius Stinson was charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. His bond was set at $100,000.
