San Antonio C-store in Crosshairs of Texas Attorney General

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio convenience store is in the crosshairs of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office, which has sued Stop By Mart owner Sung Kyu Choe to stop the sales of synthetic marijuana.

The Attorney General's office alleges that Choe has deceived customers by labeling the substance as legal and safe, reported My San Antonio.

On March 27, Paxton's office obtained a temporary restraining order from Civil District Judge Cathy Stryker and is asking for a permanent injunction against Choe. Stryker set a hearing for April 10.

According to the lawsuit, the state agency's Consumer Protection Division was contacted in late 2016 by San Antonio Police Department detectives who had seized more than 300 packages of illegal synthetic cannabinoids while conducting a follow-up inspection in 2015 after Choe was cited for Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission violations.

The drugs were sold under brand names like "Kush," "Spice," "K2" and "Scooby Snax" in bags that contained no mention of potential harmful side effects. Instead, the bags were deceptively labeled as "lab certified legal" and with the disclaimer: "This product does not contain illegal or banned ingredients," the suit said.

In another inspection of the store in late 2016, detectives seized 177 more packages and the department notified the Attorney General's office.

Sgt. Jesse Salame, the San Antonio Police Department spokesman, said police were concerned with how sellers market the product. "The marketing is the most insidious part. The names sound innocent and almost fun. Kids might turn to that as an alternative," he commented.

Records show Choe has no attorney listed with the court, the news outlet reported.

Stop By Mart is located in the 4700 block of Pecan Valley on the Southeast Side in San Antonio.