Arkansas regulators say they pulled more than 6,400 illegal products out of three tobacco and vape shops around Hot Springs, uncovering hidden compartments behind false walls, a loaded handgun, and nearly $4,300 in cash along the way. Four people now face charges tied to the operation, which investigators say also turned up intoxicating hemp-derived substances, synthetic cannabis, and suspected controlled-substance compounds.
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration's Regulatory Enforcement Division carried out the search and seizure warrants, according to KATV. Agents reported finding three concealed compartments built behind false walls at the targeted stores, each one stuffed with suspected narcotics and illegal vape products, the station reported. Investigators say the raids also netted 29 grams of marijuana flower, $4,298 in cash, and a Glock 9mm handgun.
Three Stores, Thousands of Products
The seizures hit three specific addresses: Ameer's Tobacco and Vape at 1607 Albert Pike in Hot Springs, Loyal Vape at 3907 Central Avenue in Hot Springs, and Ameer's Vape and Cigar at 4656 N Highway 7 in Hot Springs Village. Per the station's report, Ameer's Tobacco and Vape alone had 1,067 suspected narcotic or intoxicating-substance products and 1,074 illegal vape products pulled from its shelves. Ameer's Vape and Cigar in Hot Springs Village yielded an even larger haul — 1,580 suspected narcotic or intoxicating-substance products and 1,410 illegal vape products, the same account notes.
Loyal Vape's seizure looked a little different on paper: agents there reported taking 1,339 individual illegal vape devices along with 1,356 grams of intoxicating THC products. Seized items across the three locations included intoxicating hemp-derived substances, synthetic cannabis, and suspected controlled-substance compounds, as well as illicit and unregulated vape products broadly, the report states.
Four Arrests, A Long List of Charges
Hemyar Mahubemulhi Abdulla, also known as Ameer, was arrested on charges that include delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, maintaining a drug premises, unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate a crime, and possession of drug paraphernalia, per the article. Three others — Sidnee Jones, Aldailam Ammar, and Thilab Alshawhati — each face charges including simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, maintaining a drug premises, unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate a crime, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the outlet reports.
The case echoes an earlier arrest from September, when Taleb Ebnou was taken into custody over illegal products found at a different Ameer's Tobacco and Vape location in Bryant. That arrest, the article notes, ended with Ebnou turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for deportation. The Hot Springs operation drew its own federal involvement too, with DFA Enforcement Agents coordinating with the 18th Judicial District Drug Task Force and Homeland Security on the warrants.
A Statewide Enforcement Push
DFA Secretary Jim Hudson framed the raids as part of a broader campaign, saying enforcement agents have made thousands of visits to retailers across Arkansas to protect residents from unregulated, dangerous products. Hudson said the mission was to bring justice to those who endanger Arkansans, and officials added that the arrests should serve as a warning to anyone operating independent of state and federal law.
It's not the only large seizure the agency has logged this year. A notice from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration described a seizure of more than 7,600 illicit products from vape and tobacco stores in March, spanning locations in central Arkansas, northwest Arkansas, and Hot Springs. Separately, the Arkansas Attorney General's office has noted that Act 934 of 2025 updated a 2023 law banning the sale and distribution of intoxicating hemp-derived products such as Delta-8, Delta-9, and THC-O, though how that law applies to the items seized in this case has not been detailed.
