KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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The Johnson County, Kansas, District Attorney announced charges against several business owners and manufacturers for the distribution of THC products in stores in the county.
The Olathe Police Department and the Northeast Kansas Drug Task Force conducted a nearly 15-month operation on several Snaps Elite Vapes and convenience stores located throughout Johnson County. A similar operation was conducted at Exotic Vapes in De Soto.
The stores were suspected of selling products with a level of THC in them, which is illegal both medically and recreationally in the state of Kansas.
According to Olathe's police chief, officers went undercover to the stores in March 2025 and bought several of the suspected products. Those products then tested positive for THC levels.
Law enforcement executed search warrants at four businesses during the investigation and seized about 22,000 products valued at nearly $750,000. The products ranged from gummies, liquids and vapes.
Zen Salehi, Ahmad Almarbu, Mohammad Al Dulaimi, and Mukhalad Jabbar, all from various Snaps locations, face charges of felony distribution level 2 of THC. Jabbar faces two additional counts of felony distribution level 4 of THC.
In connection with illegal sales at Exotic Vapes, Arian Asas-Nasiri and Sabawoon Alikhail face felony distribution level 1 THC charges. James Kyles faces two counts of felony distribution level 4 of THC.
According to the District Attorney, law enforcement launched their investigation after receiving a tip from local schools that parents and school resource officers noticed a pattern of young students buying these THC products.
"This is a good example of parents and schools reporting information to law enforcement and making a difference, and allowing law enforcement to hold people accountable who are taking advantage of our youth," district attorney Steve Howe said.
The Johnson County District Attorney's office and law enforcement are now going after another concerning drug—kratom and 7-OH.
"These drugs have caused overdoses in our community," Howe said. "7-OH is basically gas station heroin."
Kratom is a natural leaf plant that has gained immense popularity in the last few years for its reported beneficial effects on pain relief and relaxation.
However, many agencies in Kansas, including Johnson County, have seen a number of misuse cases involving kratom with reported psychoactive effects.
7-OH is a synthetic derivative of kratom commonly sold over the counter at gas stations and convenience stores. KSHB 41 News has reported on its impact extensively in the I-Team series, Strong High Weak Laws.
The Kansas legislature passed a bill that classifies kratom and its derivative products as a Schedule I substance, the same category as heroin. Starting July 1, those products will become illegal to make, distribute and possess in the state.
"We're going to be in the process over the next 30 days of issuing these warning letters to these businesses and notifying them of the change in the law," Howe said. "We think that will make our community safer and prevent further overdoses occurring in our communities."
Under the new Kansas law, it will be a felony to possess or sell kratom and 7-OH products.
Across the state line, Missouri's Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the region's main manufacturer of 7-OH, American Shaman. Several bills were proposed in the Missouri General Assembly this last year to ban the product, but none were passed before session ended.
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