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Special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) coordinated with local and federal agencies to carry out a series of search warrants on June 23, seizing myriad products at smoke and vape shops in five cities.
ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) spearheaded the multiagency operation with support from the Alabama attorney general’s office, the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the 12th and 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s offices, the sheriff’s offices in Coffee and Chilton counties, and police departments in Troy, Enterprise, Clanton, Wetumpka and Montgomery.
SBI Major Crimes Chief Shawn Loughridge said during a June 27 press conference that the search warrants, which were executed at 10 businesses, resulted from a nearly yearlong investigation that launched after numerous complaints from community members arose in those five cities.
The SBI special agents confiscated “significant” quantities of cannabis, drug paraphernalia and other illegal drug-related items, yet the investigation remains ongoing, he said.
“No arrests have been made at this time,” Loughridge said. “However, this evidence collected this week represents a major step forward in holding these businesses accountable and protecting the health and safety of our communities.”
The seized products included what law enforcement officials said were packaged and marketed as hemp but contained THC potencies that violated Alabama law, according to ALEA. Loughridge said those potencies were determined after special agents and local law officers conducted controlled purchases to analyze and determine the THC content.
Under Alabama law, only hemp products containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC are legal to sell outside the state’s licensed medical cannabis market, which has yet to commence commercial sales amid ongoing legal challenges to the state’s licensing process.
Alabama’s hemp law is based on the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally legalized hemp, incorporating a preharvest field test for the 0.3% THC potency. The legislation does not regulate finished products.
SBI Director Chris Inabinett told reporters during the press conference that “no amount of clever packaging or marketing” is going to change the legal definition of hemp.
“We now have the technology and facilities at ALEA to conduct accurate, presumptive analysis of THC levels in these products,” he said. “These search warrants were not meant to punish business owners; they were issued in response to numerous community complaints. This is about public safety.”
Inabinett also said that certain intoxicating cannabinoid products are being sold in Alabama in packages that resemble candy, snacks and other popular food items attractive to children.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that he wanted to make something “abundantly clear” during the press conference.
“This is not hemp. This is marijuana,” he said. “This is an illegal marijuana operation. Despite the labeling, despite what may be represented, this is illicit drugs. And, as opposed to going to a local drug dealer to buy your marijuana, this was going to a storefront. Either way, it’s illegal activity for which we’ll be vigilant in making sure that we enforce.”
The multiagency operation unfolded one week before legislation to ban smokable and synthetic hemp products goes into effect on July 1.
House Bill 445, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, also authorizes Alabama’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board to license and oversee consumable hemp product manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, allowing the board to conduct inspections and seize unlawful hemp products without a warrant.
In addition, the legislation will place a 10% excise tax on hemp product sales, impose testing and labeling requirements, prohibit sales to those under 21 years old, and ban online sales and direct deliveries.
Four companies filed a lawsuit against Ivey and Marshall on June 27 in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, claiming the legislation is unconstitutional, asking the court for a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction.
While certain provisions of the signed bill don’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2026, an attorney general spokesperson from Marshall’s office clarified that possessing or selling prohibited products under H.B. 445 on or after July 1 could subject an individual to a Class C felony—which carries a 1-year to 10-year prison sentence—WSFA reported.
The plaintiffs argued in the lawsuit that they’re not sure whether they’ll be violating HB 445’s smokable and synthetic hemp ban because the law’s definitions are “so vague.”
“It’s impossible to tell whether a particular product is included in the statewide bans,” according to the suit. “As they exist, H.B. 445’s [bans] fail to provide fair notice of what products are prohibited and open the door for arbitrary enforcement in violation of the Due Process Clause.”
The plaintiffs also argue that since one must possess something to transport or ship it, H.B. 445 violates the Dormant Commerce Clause and the 2018 Farm Bill, which explicitly protects the interstate commerce of federally compliant hemp through states and territories.
During the press conference on last week’s raids, 12th Judicial Circuit District Attorney James Tarbox said the search warrants and enforcement efforts have nothing to do with H.B. 445.
“When you have a billboard that says ‘dispensary-grade THC,’ that means one thing to me: You’re selling marijuana,” he said. “When you have a billboard that says ‘inhale the good stuff,’ that means one thing to me: You’re selling marijuana. When your business is selling synthetic urine and drug screen masking agents, that means one thing to me: You’re up to no good. It’s about protecting the public and upholding the rule of law here in the state of Alabama.”
The day after the press conference, the Alabama Cannabis Coalition claimed it had been told by an “informant” that the raids would continue.
“We do not know when, but we would assume they are not going to waste any time flexing their muscles after the press conference yesterday,” the advocacy and policy reform group posted on social media. “Word on the street, they are targeting any business that is selling flower. Their plan is the same as 6/23/2025, confiscate flower and all cash in the business. Spread the word, protect yourselves and be safe. The long arm of the law has no boundaries.”
