Tulare police raid smoke shops selling ‘spice’ drug
Tulare police raided two smoke shops and arrested the owners for selling “spice,” a marijuana-like substance that’s illegal in Tulare under local ordinance.
After an investigation, police served search warrants July 9, the department said Tuesday.
Arrested were Ali Altarb, 38, of Tulare, who owns the Downtown Smoke Shop on East Kern Avenue, and Satinder Kaur, 39, owner of the Cigarette Shop on East Prosperity Avenue.
Both were booked into the Tulare County jail and were released on bail.
A total of 225 packets of spice with an estimated street value of $3,000 were confiscated, along with an undisclosed amount of currency related to possible illegal sales, police said.
It has been illegal to possess or sell spice in Tulare since Nov. 20, 2014.
Lewis Griswold: 559-441-6104, @fb_LewGriswold
This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Tulare police raid smoke shops selling ‘spice’ drug."