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The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office says it found evidence that controversial West Menlo Park business Blazin Gifts was selling tobacco, weed and psychedelic mushroom chocolate when they served a search warrant on the business on Aug. 12.
Blazin Gifts’ storefront at 3536 Alameda de Las Pulgas in unincorporated West Menlo Park has been controversial for over a year. While store owner Hussein Omar called it a gift shop, the store sold tobacco paraphernalia, which San Mateo County requires a tobacco retailer license in order to sell. The store can’t get that license as it is too close to several youth areas and one already existing tobacco retailer, under county law.
“The search warrant was in response to an investigation that found the business was selling products containing psilocybin (mushrooms), a controlled substance. Additionally, the business was found to be selling marijuana and tobacco products, despite never applying for or being issued licenses to sell those products,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office communications director Gretchen Spiker said in a statement.
Hussein Omar’s brother Ahmed Omar tried to open a tobacco store at the location in August 2024 but San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller worked with the county to prevent its opening. Ahmed Omar’s other business, Grizzly’s Smoke Shop, which is located in San Jose, was also investigated by law enforcement earlier this month.
According to the San Jose Police Department, it was one of four San Jose businesses where San Jose police served warrants on Aug. 6 in an operation that resulted in seizure of 74 points of various cannabis products, 40 pounds of psylocibin myshrooms, 426 cylinders of nitrous oxide, $11,000 in cash and a firearm, according to a department announcement.
Mueller previously told this news organization that Hussein Omar agreed to remove tobacco products from his West Menlo Park store.
Hussein Omar declined to comment.
The raid on Blazzin Gifts was done by the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force in partnership with local and state agencies, Spiker said.
The case has now been forwarded to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement, Mueller thanked the various agencies involved in the operation.
“I want to express my gratitude to the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, San Mateo County Environmental Health Services, and state authorities for their continued work on behalf of the community,” Mueller said.
