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In early February, the Metro police found 24 pounds of a drug called Spice from the 702 Mart located at East Charleston Boulevard. Thamer Jarjees, the store owner had already been warned twice about the fact that it’s illegal to sell this synthetic drug, yet Jarjees continued to sell Spice and kept it hidden in a drawer behind the cash counter in containers with vibrant labels and also in the back office.
Later that month, Jarjees was arrested on drug trafficking charges though he is still permitted to sell alcoholic beverages, tobacco and food products at his mart and two other stores owned by him in Las Vegas.
However by August, Jarjees will no longer be able to sell alcoholic beverages as a recent decision made by the Las Vegas City Council has declared Jarjees to be not suitable to possess a liquor selling license.
Jarjees has not challenged the decision of the council and has willingly surrendered his liquor license. In exchange of his cooperation, he will be allowed to run the stores for a few more weeks, thus giving him the time to hunt for a suitable buyer for his businesses.
Apart from 702 Mart, Jarjees’ other businesses include Family Food II on 1602 Street, in which he has a 50% stake and the Super Liquor Mid Strip on Las Vegas Boulevard near Sahara Avenue.
Though no prospective owners have been found yet for the other two businesses, the co-owner of Family Food II will probably buy out Jarjees’ share. Eventually the stores will shut down, if no buyer is found. According to Councilman Bob Coffin, allowing Jarjees some time to sell the businesses will enable a smooth transition and will cause a comparatively lesser negative impact to the landlords and the customers. Coffin however, is not too hopeful regarding Jarjees’ future business prospects. “Highly unlikely that he’s going to qualify for another license with this kind of record,” he said.
Also called synthetic marijuana, the Spice has been declared as an illegal substance and has been banned in Nevada since May. The Vegas police recently raided a drug lab in a warehouse at 2761 N. Lamb Blvd and found more than 150 pounds of Spice. Sold under the gimmick of “bath salts”, Spice falls under Schedule 1 narcotic along with substances like heroin and LSD and can cause hallucinations and even death.
At the moment, Jarjees is facing two felony charges of trafficking a controlled substance. His hearing is scheduled for 27th July at the Las Vegas Justice Court.
