'Operation Candy Crush': Rutherford County businesses closed, accused of selling CBD candy

Officers padlocked 23 Rutherford County businesses Monday accused of selling candy containing a derivative of marijuana.

Authorities indicted 21 people in the investigation law enforcement officials named "Operation Candy Crush," according to a news release from the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators were acting on a tip that gummy candies and vape juice containing cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, were sold in stores throughout Murfreesboro, Smyrna and La Vergne, the release said.

Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh said after a news conference that the culprits are converting real candy such as gummy bears into a synthetic drug that can be dangerous for children.

"They spray them with this illegal substance, and then they repackage them," said Fitzhugh, who noted how there's been two deaths in the United States linked to synthetic drugs. "That would be a tragic thing to happen to any family. We do want to caution parents. We certainly don’t want our kids getting into this."

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Officials talk about investigation in front of padlocked store

The sheriff, District Attorney Jennings Jones and Smyrna Police Chief Kevin Arnold spoke during a news conference about the investigation in front of the padlocked VAPE'sBORO store on Middle Tennessee Boulevard south of Mercury Boulevard in Murfreesboro.

"We feel these stores are marketing these items toward minors," Fitzhugh said in the release. "These items can commonly be confused by a child as candy and are illegal."

Cannabidiol is considered a Schedule VI narcotic. It is illegal to possess or sell in Tennessee unless prescribed by a doctor and dispensed from a licensed distributor, investigators said.

"There are many things that are illegal to possess without a prescription," including the drug Oxycontin, District Attorney General Jennings Jones said.

"If you possess this without a prescription, you have broken the law," Jones said. "If you are selling this without a prescription or if you're not a pharmacy selling it to someone with a prescription for it, you have broken the law."

The illegal candy products sells from $7 to $70

The items were described as mood enhancers or mood relaxers.

The packaging of many of the items sold contained an image of a marijuana leaf, police said. Items were sold at a cost between $7 and $70, Detective Sgt. Will Holton said in the release.

"There's no regulation on these products," Holton said. "We feel like these products are very unregulated, and you don't know what you're getting."

The Rutherford County Sherriff's office investigated the stores with police departments in Murfreesboro, Smyrna and LaVergne, and agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, DEA and FBI.

Stores will remain closed until a judge deems they are fit to reopen, Jones said.

The VAPE'sBORO store had a notice on the door: "This business closed by order of Judge Royce Taylor."

Smyrna Police Chief Kevin Arnold said he learned of CBD gummies about four months ago at a Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police meeting. Arnold said he then sent a text message to a member of his narcotics team and had detectives scout local stores.

"One clerk when straight to it," when the detective asked, the chief said.

Arnold urged parents to keep a watchful eye on what their children are bringing home.

Reach Scott Broden at sbroden@dnj.com or on Twitter @ScottBroden.

List of padlocked stores

Rutherford County: Last Stop Market, Lascassas Pike

Murfreesboro: Vapesboro, Middle Tennesee Boulevard; Stop-N-Go, New Salem Highway; Stop-N-Shop, Andrews Drive; Enchanted Planet, East Lytle Street; T&B Tobacco & Beer, Northwest Broad Street; Quick Stop Discount Tobacco and Beer, South Rutherford Boulevard; 99 Cents Discount Tobacco, Memorial Boulevard; Kaleidoscope, South Church Street and Memorial Boulevard; Y&H Discount Tobacco and Beer, Lascassas Pike; Magical Vapors, West Main Street.

Smyrna: Kwik Sak, Hazelwood Drive; TN Vape & Smoke, Rock Springs Road; Stop & Shop Tobacco and Beer; One Stop Shop Tobacco and Beer, Almaville Road; Magical Vapors, East Enon Springs Road; Cloud 9, Jefferson Street

LaVergne: Waldron Market, Waldron Road; Family Market Discount Tobacco & Beer, Waldron Road; Tobacco Brew & Chew, Waldron Road; LaVergne Vapor, Murfreesboro Road