Two Albany Men Arrested After Teen Marijuana Customer Gets Sick

Both a clerk and the owner of a store that sells cannabis are facing charges after a teenager who purchased a marijuana cigarette there later became sick.

New York State Police based in Latham say that an investigation was started in February of 2022 when a 15-year-old girl became ill after she and another teen had purchased items at the Piff N Puff Smoke Shop located at 2381 Route 9W in Ravena, New York. The location is part of a small industrial complex and strip mall along Route 9W.

2381 Route 9W in Ravena, New York Photo Credit: Google (image captured October 2019) via Google Maps (June 2022)

During their investigation police determined that 33-year-old Dawood Almawri of Albany, who was working at the store as a clerk, had allegedly sold the marijuana cigarette to the teens at the store.

A search warrant was executed at the Piff N Puff Smoke Shop on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 and, according to a written release from the NYSP, police seized "approximately (ten) pounds of assorted concentrated cannabis products and multiple bags containing an approximate total of 172 grams of marijuana."

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Police say that Almawri, who does not have a license to sell cannabis in New York State, was at the store at the time. He was taken into custody.

Police arrested the owner of the store, 22-year-old Mohamed Nagi of Albany, at his home.

Almawri faces the following charges:

Criminal Possession of Cannabis in the First Degree (Class D felony)
Unlawful Dealing with a Child in the First Degree (Class A misdemeanor)
Criminal Sale of Cannabis in the Third Degree (Class A misdemeanor)

He was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to answer the charges in Coeymans Town Court at a later date.

Nagi was charged with the following:

Criminal Possession of Cannabis in the First Degree (Class D felony)

He was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to answer the charges in Coeymans Town Court on June 16, 2022.

Anyone with information that may be helpful to the investigation is asked to call police.

Anonymous calls, e-mail, and messages may also be left with Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers by calling: 1-866-730-8477 (TIPS), by visiting www.mohawkvalleycrimestoppers.com, or by using the P3 Tips mobile app. All information received by Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers is 100% confidential.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the New York State Police. The reader is reminded that all suspects and arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]

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