(HAMILTON, Ohio) — The co-owners of nearly 100 VIP Smoke Shops across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky today pleaded guilty to felony drug trafficking and organized crime charges, Attorney General Andy Wilson announced.
“From the start, this case has been about keeping dangerous drugs out of the hands of children,” Wilson said. “These illegal substances have no place in our communities. If you traffic them, you’ll be held accountable.”
Brothers Ismail Sharida, 40, of West Chester, and Wael Sharaydeh, 57, of Cincinnati, entered guilty pleas in Butler County Common Pleas Court to five counts trafficking hashish and one count of trafficking a Schedule I controlled substance analog. The brothers, along with their company, VIP Distribution Inc., also pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
A Butler County grand jury indicted the men in 2024 after an investigation led by the Warren County Drug Task Force found that their shops were selling illegal substances to minors in southwest Ohio.
Investigators executed search warrants at the shops and seized hashish – a potent form of cannabis – in the form of oils, resins and vape cartridges containing illegal amounts of Delta-9 THC. Investigators also discovered that the shops sold products containing an analog of psilocin, a hallucinogenic compound found in psychedelic mushrooms.
As part of their plea agreements, the brothers must close or sell all VIP Smoke Shops before sentencing on Dec. 1. The men will also forfeit at least six vehicles, more than $338,000 seized from their shops and related bank accounts, at least three firearms, and all illegal products that tested positive for hashish or psilocin analogs.
The agreements also prohibit them from owning, operating or working for smoke shops during a probation period to be set by the court. Additionally, the brothers agreed to dismiss civil lawsuits that they filed against law enforcement and Warren County in response to the search warrants.
The Special Prosecutions Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the cases.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Dominic Binkley: 614-728-4127
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