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by ERIN PARROTT
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Months after a sweeping statewide crackdown on illegal Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and marijuana products, South Carolina authorities secured the first round of indictments tied to their high-profile investigation targeting vape shops and distributors across the Palmetto State.
The December 2025 enforcement action – ‘Operation Ganjapreneur‘ – resulted in the seizure of tens of thousands of pounds of allegedly illegal products. Now, prosecutors say the case is advancing with significant charges against multiple defendants.
According to the office of attorney general Alan Wilson, South Carolina’s statewide grand jury has indicted three alleged operators of Dab City Warehouse, LLC – Shazan Ghani, Zeeshan Ghani, and Haad Hassan – on hundreds of counts, including trafficking marijuana and multiple PWID (possession with intent to distribute) charges involving marijuana, THC and controlled substance analogues.
A separate indictment on trafficking and distribution-related charges was also issued against Jay Kalin, Jr., proprietor of Jay’s Head Shop and Wellness Center LLC.
Authorities say the scale of the operation underscores how widespread this illicit market has become.
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In the Midlands alone, investigators seized approximately 30,000 pounds of product – with an estimated street value approaching $77 million.
During the December raids, law enforcement recovered:
- Over 400 pounds of marijuana
- Roughly 60 pounds of THC vape products
- Nearly 900 pounds of THC edibles and gummies
- More than 80 pounds of suspected psilocybin extract substances
Testing conducted by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) found that 261 of 270 products tested “came back hot,” meaning they allegedly contained illegal substances or exceeded legal THC limits.
“Because of the hard work and preparation done prior to the day of Operation Ganjapreneur, the vast majority of the massive amounts of product seized from these two businesses back in December has allegedly been found to be illegal after testing by the SLED lab,” Wilson said.
Officials emphasized many of the seized products were designed to appeal to younger consumers – often mimicking candy, snacks, and popular branded treats.
“These drug traffickers sought to peddle these products to anyone who would buy them… directly profiting off the backs of our children,” SLED Chief Mark Keel said in a statement.
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Grand jury prosecutors echoed that concern, noting some items contained THC levels “at least triple” the legal limit – while others allegedly included psilocybin analogues.
The investigation brought together a wide range of local, state, and federal agencies – including Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and multiple statewide law enforcement agencies.
Officials say collaboration was key to dismantling what they describe as a coordinated distribution network operating openly across South Carolina. The cases will now move through the court system under the jurisdiction of the grand jury, with prosecutors warning additional indictments could follow as the broader investigation continues.
As with all criminal cases, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Count on FITSNews for continued coverage as Operation “Ganjapreneur” cases advance through our justice system.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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4 comments
Mark Keel and Alan Wilson – making sure you stay away from THC so you can instead get drunk and run over little kids. Great work guys. Cannot wait to see how much the alcohol lobby paid for this nonsense.
Another stupid comment by Joshua. Hope no-one in your family gets run over by some stoned out kid behind the wheel whose unaware of what they just ingested. I’m not an Alan Wilson fan but in this case I say good job. Seems you just like to bitch about everything.
If the agencies are reading this, please check out those canisters of whipped cream you probably ran across in the vape shops. Those would be *highly addictive* nitrous oxide. Thank you.
All of this stuff is for sale every day all over the place where I live. They (general assemy) stopped funding the county labs so EVERY sample has to go to sled making statewide enforcement impossible.
The LEGAL Federal Farm Bill products that are for sale everywhere get your kids really high and SC cant stop them because they are federally pre empted from doing so.
One would think the attorney general would know this and prosecute the multiple sex crime files he is sitting on, but a couple a brown skinned weed dealers are public enemy #1.
Nancy Mace and David Pascoe are going to clean house. Pass the popcorn.