A1 Smoke Shop in Bainbridge Township has officially closed after its lease was terminated Jan. 27, though a criminal investigation into the business remains ongoing.
A1 Smoke Shop in Bainbridge Township has officially closed after its lease was terminated Jan. 27, though a criminal investigation into the business remains ongoing.
The business — at 8551 E. Washington St. — was shut down in November following allegations of drug trafficking and the illegal distribution of alternative nicotine products, according to Geauga County Court of Common Pleas records.
The shop received a total of 10 complaints from the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and Bainbridge Police Department related to the alleged sale of marijuana and ANPs to minors between Nov. 1, 2023, and Nov. 14, 2025.
Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz filed a nuisance complaint against the business in November, which Geauga County Common Pleas Judge Matt Rambo accepted.
The termination of the lease resolved the civil aspect of the case, Flaiz said in a Feb. 6 follow-up interview.
“The owner of the shopping center terminated the smoke shop’s lease and took their sign off the facade, and the smoke shop came and removed all of their property from the unit,” he added.
The Bainbridge Township Police Department seized all contraband from the property, he said.
“Once the lease was terminated and the smoke shop was gone and all their stuff was gone, the nuisance was abated, no longer existed and they agreed to pay the court costs,” Flaiz said.
However, Bainbridge police are still investigating the criminal side of the case, he said.
“Bainbridge police are doing a great job putting a case together and if there’s evidence that any of them committed offenses, (they) will present that to the grand jury and the grand jury will decide if they should be indicted,” Flaiz explained.
Flaiz said he hopes to bring the case before the grand jury before June, but noted it is unclear how long detectives will need to review evidence such as video surveillance and financial records.
