North Olmsted Business Owner Under Investigation, Police Raid Store
Several law enforcement agencies executed search warrants at a North Olmsted business on Wednesday morning.
Search Warrants Executed at Bretton Beverage
North Olmsted police officers, The Westshore Enforcement Bureau, and agents with the Ohio Investigative Unit raided Bretton Beverage located in the 29600 block of Lorain Road.
According to police, the owner Khaled Askar is under investigation for selling:
- Marijuana/THC
- Kratom
- Alcohol and tobacco to minors.
"I’ve been in there, my kids go in there. So, yea, you never want to think that anything close to home going on could be potentially harmful to your kids," said Jeremy Brown, a nearby resident.
Another neighbor, Tony DeRaimo, shared his concerns: "I think that’s terrible. I mean, you don’t push drugs to minors or anybody, really."
This is not Askar's first time facing such allegations. In 2023, 19 News reported on his arrest for illegally selling vapes, nicotine, and THC to minors at another store in Westlake called Magic Flash. A civil complaint was filed against the store, seeking to have it declared a nuisance and shut down.
In light of these events, officers emphasized that their "intensive investigation" was initiated based on multiple complaints from the public.