The Columbia Police Department, in partnership with Mississippi’s Alcoholic Beverage Control, conducted a sting March 10 as part of “Operation Guardian,” which led to three misdemeanor arrests for the sale of vape products and alcohol to minors.
The department had received numerous complaints of sales to minors in recent months, which reignited “Operation Guardian,” an operation that initially started a couple of years ago.
The three arrests were all store clerks, two at Xhale Smoke Shop at 1003 U.S. 98 and one at Valero at 407 S. High School Ave. The two at Xhale were for illegal sale of vape juice to minors, and the one at Valero was for illegal sale of alcohol.
Police Chief Michael Kelly said during spring break, the department wants parents to be aware of the dangers to better protect their children but that “Operation Guardian” could extend past the end of spring break, depending on how the investigation goes.
Sgt. Jeff Stamps said it’s not just about tobacco though and that something is causing severe inebriation in particular cases.
“I don’t know what they’re getting a hold of at these vape shops, but we came across four (teenagers) at a local restaurant here six months ago and when we came up on these kids, they were passed out. It was four juveniles, and they did not know what world they were in. For 10-15 minutes, they couldn’t even tell you their name,” he explained. “Most of this stuff is legal to sell over the counter here, not to juveniles, but to adults.
“I would just like to stress to parents to keep an eye on your kids. If you see them with a vape, you’re going to have to take some sort of corrective action. Get rid of those vapes. None of that stuff that they’re selling around here is good. We have enough issues with drinking and driving.”
There have also been reports of minors losing the ability to speak coherently and acting in strange ways, and the scary part in these cases is nothing is showing up in the drug tests. Stamps cautioned both teenagers and adults that just because something is sold over the counter doesn’t mean it is safe to use.
He described another situation where he stopped an adult who had used CBD oil who was swerving on the road without his headlights on.
“He could not talk and could not tell me his name or his date of birth. We got a blood test on him that came back negative for all the narcotic stuff we test for. The crime lab can’t even figure out what’s in that stuff,” he said. “There’s other ways to have a good time than taking something that might harm you or kill you.”
Stamps added that the way some of these people are acting reminds him of people huffing Freon or inhaling Whippets.
“It’s a quick high, but it’s like a hallucinogen. You don’t know where you’re at or nothing. You lose all cognizance and brain function,” he said.
Stamps reported that in 2020, the CPD made 77 DUI arrests, but that total spiked to 167 in 2021. He said the majority of DUI arrests are actually coming from drugs rather than alcohol these days. He added the CPD is planning to add another DUI task force by the end of the year, and the department is hoping to secure a grant that would pay for one full-time salary.
