PINELLAS PARK, Fla. – A narcotics investigation in Pinellas Park ended with the raid of a local convenience store and a residential home on June 25, 2026, resulting in the arrest of two men accused of running a drug operation just steps from a school.
The Pinellas Park Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit targeted the Kwik Stop at 9019 60th Street North, as well as a home located at 4651 87th Avenue North. According to investigators, the Kwik Stop sits roughly 700 feet away from an elementary school and had been flagged for selling illegal THC products to minors.
Detectives discovered that the store was also secretly stocking controlled substances, specifically Kratom 7-OH products, and hiding them inside the business to avoid getting caught. The raid came just three days after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a June 22 emergency rule banning 7-OH and related substances due to their harmful health effects.
Police report that the store’s proprietor had previously removed these items from public display, claiming compliance with the state’s new emergency order. However, the police investigation revealed that the store had actually just hidden the inventory out of sight and continued selling it to customers despite the ban and its proximity to local schoolchildren.
Officers seized a massive amount of illegal inventory during the search of both properties. The total haul included 741 packages of suspected illicit THC products, 25 packages of psilocybin mushrooms, and approximately 400 packages of Kratom 7-OH products, which translates to more than 2,500 individual servings.
Two men were taken into custody following the raids. Ayman M. Abd Elmotagaly, 41, was arrested and charged with two counts of sale or delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, one count of operating a drug house, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Medhat M. Saied, 51, was also arrested and faces two counts of sale or delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and one count of operating a drug house.
Pinellas Park Police Chief Adam Geissenberger emphasized that the business owners knew they were breaking the law following the state’s recent crackdown.
“After the Attorney General acted to remove these dangerous 7-OH products from Florida shelves, this business had a clear obligation to comply with the law,” Chief Geissenberger said. “Instead, these products were hidden and remained available for sale. Despite the creative marketing and packaging, the suspects knew full well what they were selling. These substances are poison, and their intentional acts to subvert the law for financial gain placed children, families, and our community at risk. The Pinellas Park Police Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold businesses accountable when they choose profit over public safety.”
The investigation is still active. Pinellas Park detectives are currently working alongside the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco to follow up on additional leads. Police officials noted that more charges and arrests could be on the way as the investigation moves forward.
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