A nearly 11-month, undercover investigation culminated Friday with the execution of search warrants at a total of 10 different locations across three counties and two states.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office began looking into suspicious activity at The Washboard laundromat off Rodney Orr Bypass – as well as The Greener Side Dispensary off Tallulah Road and Z’s Tobacco & Vape on Sweetwater Road – in January, following up on tips of illegal drug and gambling activity between the three locations.
“They became hubs for illegal drug sales,” Graham County sheriff’s Det. Graham Page said. “All the drug dealers would visit these places and sell drugs at the businesses. They became a place that allowed people to show up and sell drugs. They became drug markets – not the businesses themselves, but the individuals who were going to each place to sell drugs.”
Dubbed “Operation Dirty Laundry,” authorities raided the three local businesses around 3:30 p.m. Friday, as well as the residences of the owners and operators of each. Both the Cherokee and Clay county sheriff’s offices merged onto their respective Z’s Tobacco & Vape shops, with the manager being tracked down at a residence in Towns County, Ga., on Friday evening.
At press time Monday, four individuals have been assessed a laundry list of charges in connection with the sting: 25-year-old Ayad Radwan Alsalme and 20-year-old Mohamed Abdullah Almasmari – both who list addresses in Detroit – as well as a pair of 59-year-old Graham County residents: Brian Jude Muncy and Willem Adriaan Van De Weerd.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday more charges would be filed in direct correlation to the investigation. Page said the sheer volume of evidence collected Friday would take more than a month to process, but estimated that more than $100,000 in cash, 9,000 grams of hallucinogenics, 100 pounds of marijuana, two firearms and 13 active gambling machines were seized over the course of the warrants being executed.
Grass isn’t greener
Located at 77 Tallulah Road, The Greener Side Dispensary filed as an LLC – limited-liability company – on Oct. 24, 2023. The shop gave a cosmetic overhaul to both the interior and exterior of the building prior to opening this year, even turning the former site of a mechanic’s garage attached to the shop itself into a lounge area, known as “The Joint Cannabis Bar & Smoke Lounge.”
Muncy owns the store, which was open Sunday to sell the limited inventory left on hand after the raid.
Page told The Graham Star that an undercover officer began visiting the establishment in January 2024, in response to complaints regarding illegal marijuana and “magic mushrooms” (hallucinogenics) being sold at the site. Both hemp and hallucinogenics were purchased from the dispensary, as well as the tobacco/vape shop.
Products bought undercover were sent to a private lab for testing. The almost-universal, allowable limit for the amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in hemp is 0.3%; Page said every item tested by the lab came back reading over 0.5 – the maximum amount that would register on a scale. In other words, the amount of THC in each product was off the charts.
“We think they may be well into the 20-30% range, but the lab can only test up to five,” Page said. “We know he’s saying ‘everything is legal’ to cover face, but he made statements to my undercover officer – on video – that he had been selling drugs for years, and that this is the same stuff he sold on the street.
“He said that this stuff is meant to ‘(expletive) you up and get you high; you’ll be back for more.’ “
Page cited an incident earlier this year, where an unidentified woman was airlifted and placed on life support after overdosing on prescription medication in her home. It was soon revealed that she had consumed “mushroom gummies” from the dispensary, which caused her to hallucinate and think the pills were actually Skittles. In another instance, a customer overdosed at the dispensary itself and EMTs were dispatched for assistance.
Authorities from all three involved counties served the warrants simultaneously, with Muncy located at the dispensary and placed under arrest. Assisting with the operation was the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, Gaming Division, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, N.C. Department of Revenue Controlled Substances Division and N.C. Highway Patrol.
But even all the extra hands needed until 10 p.m. Friday to gather all the evidence needed at the business. Officers also executed a warrant at Muncy’s home off Berts Creek Circle in Sweetgum, where 9,000 grams of hallucinogenics were located – packaged into various combinations, such as chocolate bars – as well as more than 10 pounds of marijuana, which had percentages marked on the packaging that indicated the content was over the legal limit.
Inside the dispensary’s lounge area, a menu touted the sell of mixed drinks that contained hemp.
All told, Muncy was charged with four counts of maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for keeping or selling controlled substances; two counts of possession of marijuana; two counts of possession of a schedule I controlled substance; two counts of possession with intent to manufacture/sell/distribute a schedule I controlled substance; two counts of possession with intent to manufacture/sell/distribute marijuana; two counts of trafficking in marijuana; and one count of manufacturing marijuana (all felonies).
A Schedule I controlled substance is defined as having “no medical value.” Tests on the products bought by the undercover officers involved came back positive for substituted tryptamine – a psychoactive hallucinogenic. It is tied to dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a drug banned in the United States that goes by the common slang term “spice.”
“Our attention was brought to this because it became a breeding ground for illegal drug activity and criminal acts,” Page said, adding that customers were never asked to show identification before purchasing from either The Greener Side or Z’s Tobacco & Vape.
Muncy has already been released after posting a $500,000 bond. When The Star broke the news of the warrants being carried out Friday, multiple individuals came to Muncy’s defense on Facebook. A GoFundMe page was also started over the weekend to help raise money for legal costs, with a target amount of $19,000.
Gamblin’ man
Described by Page as an “open air drug market,” The Washboard sits at 52 Rodney Orr Bypass. Over the years, the spot has became unfortunately infamous due to the amount of drug activity that takes place at the laundromat, which was found to have just 3-4 operational washers and dryers when authorities converged on the site Friday.
“You can park at the hotel (Quality Inn & Suites) and watch hand-to-hand drug sales, all day,” Page said. “It was obvious there was constant drug activity.”
The undercover officer assigned to the investigation also noted the presence of gambling devices inside the laundromat (six in total, including five in a tiny room). The sheriff’s office soon contacted the ALE’s gaming division, which sent undercover officers to Robbinsville on a mission to confirm the original surveillance.
Aside from casinos, gambling is prohibited in North Carolina. Customers who used the machines at The Washboard would receive cash vouchers for reimbursement, which would allegedly be paid out by Van De Weerd.
A warrant was also executed at Van De Weerd’s residence off Sweetwater Road, where copious amount of cash and silver – the latter of which is worth $272.58 a pound in the United States. The official weight of silver recovered was not available.
Van De Weerd was charged with operating more than five video gaming machines, possession of marijuana and possession with intent to manufacture/sell/distribute marijuana (all felonies); as well as two counts of operating electronic sweepstakes, plus one count each of gambling, operating/possessing a slot machine and manufacturing/selling slot machines – all misdemeanors.
He is also out of custody after posting a $50,000 bond.
More than advertised
Alsalme is believed to own and operate more than 30 businesses along the Eastern Seaboard, including the Z’s Tobacco & Vape shops in Hayesville (964 N.C. 69), Murphy (1508 Andrews Road) and Robbinsville (176 Sweetwater Road).
The ALE’s gaming division became involved by investigating the presence of four gambling machines inside both the Murphy and Robbinsville locations, confirming the presence of illegal gambling at the store being conducted in a manner similar to The Washboard (voucher for cash payouts).
While executing Friday’s warrants, chocolate hallucinogenics were found at the Clay County store – but the bigger find was what Page called a “clandestine” laboratory on site for manufacturing mushroom gummies. A safe inside the business also contained dried mushrooms.
Authorities received a tip regarding Alsalme’s whereabouts while conducting the search in Hayesville, which led police to an unidentified residence in Towns County. Alsalme was located at the home and taken into custody; handguns, unspecified drugs and a large sum of money were also found in the residence.
Alsalme was charged with the following felonies: two counts of continuing criminal enterprise; hiring/using a minor under 13 to selling/deliver a controlled substance; promoting drug sales by a minor; selling/delivering marijuana; possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver marijuana and maintaining a vehicle/dwelling place for controlled substance. He also received misdemeanor charges of gambling, operating/possession a slot machine; manufacture/sell slot machine; and operating a video game machine.
Meanwhile, Almasmari was slapped with charges for his alleged role as a co-conspirator in the scheme. Undercover officers said Almasmari sold them marijuana that tested higher than the allowed THC limit of 0.3%.
He was charged with selling/delivering marijuana and possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver marijuana (both felonies); as well as gambling, operating/possessing a slot machine; manufacturing/selling a slot machine; and operating a video gaming machine (each a misdemeanor).
Both men have posted separate bonds of $750,000. Z’s Tobacco & Vape in Robbinsville was still open Sunday to sell tobacco products.