Men, Stores Caught Selling Illegal Weed Enter Pleas: Rockland DA

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Three men and five corporations accused of selling cannabis illegally have pleaded guilty to tax fraud, the Rockland County Attorney's Office announced.

The year-long investigation into Zava smoke shops, including two in Clarkstown, two in Orangetown, and one in Suffern, concluded with raids on the stores plus a business and a private residence in Clarkstown. During the execution of the search warrants on the locations and bank accounts, in excess of $415,000 and 405 pounds of cannabis were seized, the DA said.

Guilty pleas were entered by Ibrahim Alfalahi, 36 of Nanuet, Abdo Alquhshi, 44 of Nyack, and Sadek Alfalahi, 29 of Nanuet.

Lawyers on behalf of the five stores, incorporated individually, pleaded guilty to tax fraud. The stores are:

• Zava Lafayette Convenience Corp., 28 Lafayette Ave., Suffern
• Zava Candy Inc., 214 Smith Rd., Nanuet
• Zava Flow Inc., 38-40 N. Middletown Rd., Nanuet
• Zava Central Convenience Corp., 46 E. Central Ave., Pearl River
• Zava Smoke, Inc., aka Zava Convenient Store Inc., Pearl River

District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II commended Homeland Security Investigations, New
York State Tax and Finance, New York State Office of Cannabis Management, and local
police departments for their assistance in the case.

"We will continue to work to make sure that all business in Rockland County is conducted lawfully," he said..

“The defendants’ guilty pleas mark a groundbreaking achievement for the region," said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J.Arvelo. "New York, in coordination with the greater law enforcement community, will not allow the legalization of recreational marijuana to result in the neglect of statutes and regulations designed to ensure the public’s safety."