North Canaan shop owner and employee charged with selling narcotics

NORTH CANAAN – Police arrested the owner and an employee of Smoker’s Choice, a smoke shop and convenience store in the East Main Plaza in North Canaan, on June 30 on drug sale charges.

According to police records, officers arrested store owner Mohammad Rahman of Litchfield and cashier Rape Ruhul Amin of Brooklyn, New York, after conducting a compliance check at the business.

A citation had been issued to the business in January for selling illegal cannabis products and included a seizure of several pounds of merchandise. It was the second bust in two years at the establishment.

Both men were processed for selling narcotic substances, with Rahman additionally charged with operating a drug factory. Rahman and Amin were both released on bonds, which were posted as $100,000 and $50,000, respectively. They are scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 14.

North Canaan Resident Trooper Spencer Bronson was the primary investigator on the case, but could not immediately be reached for comment.

A trooper not directly involved with the investigation said that the compliance check on June 30 yielded a similar type of illegal THC products to the January seizure, but a lower amount.

Cannabis retail was legalized in Connecticut in 2023 with appropriate licensing, but municipalities can regulate or prevent cannabis sale locally via ordinance. Recreational retail was approved in North Canaan through a narrow vote in 2023, but Smoker’s Choice does not carry such a license to sell THC products. Under state law, cannabis can only be sold through licensed dispensaries.

According to the Resident Trooper’s Office, the initial search in January was prompted by reports of underage customers purchasing cannabis products at area stores.

As of July 4, Smoker’s Choice remained open.