Valentin Andonii Charged In Bust Of 75,000 THC-Filled Vaping Cartridges
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Twin Cities man is facing felony drug charges after he allegedly sold undercover officers hundreds of THC-filled vaping cartridges and investigators found more than 76,000 of them in his possession.
Valentin Andonii, 22, is charged with first-degree counts of selling and possessing controlled substances, court documents filed in Anoka County show. If convicted of the charges, Andonii faces 30 years in prison on each count.
According to a criminal complaint, a drug task force made contact with Andonni over the summer through an informant, who set up deals where undercover officers bought hundreds of THC-filled vaping cartridges from Andonni, who went by the nickname "Valicious."
The labeling of the cartridges, which officials believe came from out of state, promised to contain "94% or greater THC." THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive component in marijuana.
On Monday, a search warrant was executed at a Coon Rapids home, where a total of 76,972 THC-filled vaping cartridges were seized. Also found was $144,761 in cash.
Andonii made his first court appearance Wednesday in Anoka County, where he is being held without bail.
According to court records, Andonii has two drug-related felony convictions stemming from 2017.
In recent months, the vaping of black market THC cartridges has been a topic of national concern, as several e-cigarette users have ended up in the hospital and even died from related illnesses.
Earlier this month, the Minnesota Department of Health reported the first vaping-related death in Minnesota.