West Islip, Bay Shore stores sold drugs including narcotics packaged as candy bars, police say

Two Suffolk shops, including one less than 1,000 feet from a middle school, sold edible marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in what appeared to be name-brand candy wrapping, law enforcement officials said Wednesday in announcing charges against the businesses' owner and three employees.

Search warrants were executed Tuesday at Legit 100 Smoke Shop in West Islip and Exit 42 Deli in Bay Shore, both owned by Ali Anwar, 44, of West Islip. 

Authorities seized large quantities of prepackaged candy bars and other sugary treats that were marketed to children and contained either the psychedelic mushroom compound psilocybin, or marijuana, according to law enforcement officials.

The candy was meant to look identical to a brand name item but typically had one letter changed on the packaging, said Det. Lt. Dylan Friedlander, commanding officer of the Suffolk County Police Department's Third Squad.

"It was not disguised," Friedlander said at a news conference Wednesday in Yaphank. " … This was packaged for to be enticing to people that like candy. Typically children like candy. And it was clearly labeled saying what [narcotics] it contained."

Police also found cocaine in one of the locations although it was not packaged for sale and was believed to be used by one of the defendants, officials said.

Legit 100 Smoke Shop is located four tenths of a mile from Beach Street Middle School and less than a mile from West Islip High School. There have been no reports of children at either school getting sick from the edibles.

Anwar was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, trademark counterfeiting, criminal sale of a controlled substance, and criminal sale of a controlled substance in or near school grounds. 

His brother, Hasnain Anwar, 42, of Seaford, who worked at the smoke shop, was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance in or near school grounds.

Shevin Mahabal, 30, of Valley Stream, the smoke shop manager, was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal sale of a controlled substance in or near school grounds, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of cannabis and criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

Joseph Orso, 47, of Hempstead, manager of Exit 42 Deli, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The four men were arraigned Wednesday at District Court in Central Islip where they each pleaded not guilty and were released without bail.

Efforts to reach attorneys for the Anwar brothers and Orso were unsuccessful.

George Duncan, an Islip Terrace defense attorney representing Mahabal, said his client "adamantly denies the charges and maintains his innocence."

The arrests was sparked by community complaints about the two shops, although Friedlander declined to elaborate on details of the investigation.

"We devoted a tremendous amount of resources to make sure that this investigation got done well and quickly," he said. "I would tell parents to be hyper vigilant about the type of things that their kids are buying."

Chris Mason, owner of Live Wire Arts, a tattoo parlor located next door to the smoke shop, said the arrests did not come as much of a shock. 

"It's not much of a surprise," Mason said Wednesday. "I didn't think much of them. But these allegations are concerning."

The smoke shop was closed Wednesday but signs in the window advertised "Free Beer Fridays" and their window-facing shelves advertised hookahs, pipes and other smoking and vaping paraphernalia.

The defendants are due back in court Nov. 3.

With Joan Gralla and James Carbone

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.