A multi-agency Richmond task force has shut down 18 vape and smoke shops following inspections that uncovered widespread safety violations, illegal drugs, firearms and illicit cash, city officials said Friday at a City Hall press conference on Operation Vaporize.

The initiative brings together the Richmond Police, Fire and Finance departments, along with planning and code enforcement, and had been underway for several weeks before its public unveiling. So far, inspections of 30 shops have resulted in 18 closures, according to city officials. 

“Operation Vaporize is about protecting our communities, about protecting our children and about making our communities safer,” said Mayor Danny Avula, who spoke at the announcement alongside Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards and Planning and Development Review Director Kevin Vonck. 

Inspections led to the seizure of illegal drugs, firearms and cash, along with the discovery of widespread building code and safety violations that prompted officials to placard and close the shops. Authorities said 274 violations have been documented so far, with 31 illegal firearms, more than 100 pounds of marijuana and illegal THC products, and over $60,000 in illicit currency recovered or seized. 

Operation Vaporize is one of several recent efforts by city officials to address the proliferation of vape and smoke shops across Richmond. Officials and residents in Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield counties have voiced concerns about smoke shops, regarding regulatory compliance and their potential impact on children. 

Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield officials have approved ordinances to restrict the establishment of new shops over the years, with Richmond approving theirs in July. 

The restrictions do not apply to shops that were already operating when the ordinance took effect, and Edwards said arrests have done little to prevent some businesses from reopening quickly. 

City officials have turned to other tools under Operation Vaporize, including existing drug blight and property laws, to identify shops involved in illegal activity, hold owners accountable and ensure compliance. 

“I don’t know that this answer of the drug blight is going to be the answer,” Edwards said, “but I’ve got to believe holding the owners of the structures accountable for what happens on their property is gonna be a long-term solution.” 

Operation Vaporize’s announcement also comes months after eight people were arrested in shop raids conducted by multiple police departments across the metro area and charged with transporting of marijuana into Virginia and possession with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance 

Not all of the 18 stores closed for violations are expected to remain shut, according to Vonck, as a majority that had valid certificates of occupancy but safety violations could be reopened after addressing the issues raised during their inspections. 

“As long as you operate as a good, law-abiding business, you can continue to operate,” he said. “And if they don’t, then we’ll be back to revisit.” 

City officials gather at a news conference on Operation Vaporize at City Hall on Friday. (photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press)