Detroit police shut down a Citgo gas station on the city's east side this week after an undercover operation confirmed an employee sold tobacco products to a minor, then a search of the store turned up nearly $400,000 in cash, five firearms and a stash of marijuana and vape products. The station sits at 13033 E. Seven Mile Road near Gratiot Avenue, in a neighborhood where a resident had already complained about activity at the location.
According to Metro Detroit News, an undercover officer allegedly purchased a marijuana pre-roll at the store as part of the investigation. When police searched the gas station, they say they uncovered $397,000 in cash, 252 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes, 17 THC vape pens and five firearms — one of which had been reported stolen. Investigators also confirmed that an employee had sold tobacco products directly to a minor.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison did not mince words about what his department found. He described the alleged activity as a betrayal of trust, and he warned other businesses that illegal sales to minors would not be tolerated going forward.
A Pattern Along the Seven Mile Corridor
This is not the department's first stop on East Seven Mile Road. In May, Detroit police shut down a gas station at East 7 Mile Road and Ryan Road after an undercover investigation found employees selling tobacco, vapes and marijuana to minors directly across the street from Pershing High School, according to ClickOnDetroit. Community members and school administrators had alerted police to underage sales at that store before officers moved in.
The corridor has drawn repeated police attention over the past year and a half. In January 2025, officers seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana during a raid on an unlicensed dispensary on 7 Mile Road after uncovering sales to underage customers, per a report from Fox 2 Detroit. And in April 2025, police forced the closure of a BP station near 7 Mile Road and Grand River Avenue after discovering illegal marijuana sales without a permit during an unrelated auto-theft investigation, as reported by CBS News Detroit.
Bettison's Enforcement Priority Since Taking Command
Bettison, who spent 27 years with the Detroit Police Department before serving as deputy mayor under Mayor Mike Duggan, was appointed interim police chief in October 2024 and confirmed permanently by the Detroit City Council in February 2025. Shortly after taking the job full-time, he publicly identified cracking down on gas stations and retail stores selling tobacco and illegal products to minors as a core priority for the department, according to BridgeDetroit.
That priority has translated into numbers. Per the Metro Detroit News report, police shut down roughly 30 smoke shops during similar investigations in 2025, along with five gas stations shut down that same year over comparable violations. The Seven Mile Citgo closure adds to that running tally.
A Harm Reduction Site Amid the Allegations
The Citgo's closure carries an added wrinkle: the Detroit Health Department designated the same 13033 E. Seven Mile Road location in April 2025 as one of 25 citywide Harm Reduction Wellness Stations, offering free naloxone and other harm-reduction supplies to the public, according to ClickOnDetroit. The wellness station initiative was launched to combat opioid overdose deaths across the city, making the store's alleged role in illegal sales to a minor a stark contrast to its public health function.
What the Law Says About Unlicensed Sales
Michigan's Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act makes selling cannabis to anyone under 21 or conducting commercial marijuana sales without a state license a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, per the Michigan Legislature. The state's Cannabis Regulatory Agency has also warned that any unlicensed business selling products containing more than 0.3% THC is subject to immediate product seizure and criminal referral to Michigan State Police.
Separately, Detroit's own municipal rules bar licensed cannabis retailers from selling alcohol or tobacco on the same premises, according to MichiganCannabis.org — a restriction that helps explain why a gas station combining tobacco sales with marijuana distribution runs afoul of local licensing codes regardless of its state status. Detroit's regulated adult-use cannabis market dates back to an ordinance the City Council approved in April 2022, which required dual state and municipal licenses and set aside at least half of retail licenses for social equity applicants.
