Detroit Police Shut Down East Side Gas Station After Raid Finds Marijuana, Guns and Nearly $400,000 in Cash
An undercover Detroit police operation at a Citgo station on East 7 Mile Road uncovered illegal marijuana sales, stolen firearms and $397,000 in cash, leading officials to shut the business down.
A Citgo gas station on Detroit's east side is closed after undercover police officers say they caught the business selling marijuana and tobacco products to a minor, then found nearly $400,000 in cash and a stash of guns hidden inside.
The Detroit Police Department's Vice Unit targeted the station, located on East 7 Mile Road near Gratiot Avenue, after residents complained that employees were selling tobacco and marijuana products to underage customers. Undercover officers watched the sale of tobacco products to a minor unfold at the counter, according to police. In a separate visit, an undercover officer bought a pre-rolled marijuana cigarette from the store.
Those two buys gave detectives enough evidence to search the property. Inside, officers say they found 252 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes, 17 THC vape pens, five firearms and $397,000 in cash. One of the guns had been reported stolen.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said the station was operating without a license to sell marijuana products and had no business holding onto that kind of cash or firepower.
"I just want to let everybody know that when you're conducting business like this in the city of Detroit, selling to underage minors, selling marijuana, and you don't have a license, having stolen firearms on your premises, we're not going to tolerate this in the city of Detroit," Bettison said. "And as a consequence, we will shut your business down."
The station is the latest target in a crackdown that has been running for about a year. Detroit police say similar undercover operations have already led to the closure of roughly five gas stations and 30 smoke shops across the city, most of them accused of selling marijuana products, tobacco or vapes to minors without proper licensing.
Vice Unit detectives have relied on tips from neighbors and repeat undercover buys to build cases against stores suspected of skirting state licensing rules for marijuana sales. Michigan requires a state license to sell marijuana products, and businesses caught selling without one face closure, fines and potential criminal charges. Selling tobacco or marijuana to anyone under 21 carries its own penalties.
Bettison said the stolen firearm found inside the store showed the problems at the location went beyond licensing paperwork. Police did not say who owned the gun before it was reported stolen or how long it had been at the station.
No arrests were announced as of Thursday evening, and police described the investigation as ongoing. Detectives are still working to determine who ran the store's day-to-day operations and whether additional charges will follow tied to the cash, the weapons or the underage sales.
Bettison asked residents to keep reporting suspicious activity at neighborhood businesses, saying tips from the public have been central to building the cases behind the year's wave of closures. Detroit police are asking anyone with information about illegal sales or activity at local businesses to call 224-DOPE, the department's anonymous tip line.
The closure leaves another gap in a stretch of East 7 Mile Road that has already seen several corner stores and gas stations shuttered under the same enforcement push. Police have not said whether the property owner faces additional scrutiny or whether the station could reopen under new ownership or management.
Detectives say more undercover buys are planned at other businesses across the city suspected of similar violations.
