A’s Smoke Shop owner Ali Sher gave testimony to the Town Council at its meeting on Feb. 10, leading to the rovocation of A’s liquor license following allegations of alcohol sales to minors and police finding individually packaged pills under the register.
Photo credit: ELCAT01028
EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Police Department announced the arrest of A’s Smoke Shop proprietor and licensee Ali Sher on Sept. 4 after a search found flavored vapes, marijuana, alcohol and kratom — a newly designated controlled substance and illegal to possess or sell — following allegations of illegal and unlicensed sales to minors.
The department charged Sher with flavored tobacco sale, two counts of distributing a class D drug, unlawful liquor sale, possession to distribute a class D drug and conspiracy to violate drug law.
Police Chief Mark Williams said in a release the department received numerous complaints and allegations about illegal activities and sales to youths of illegal tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
“The East Longmeadow Police are committed to the safety of all of our residents and are determined to investigate and enforce the laws we’re empowered to enforce, while also assisting other state and local licensing enforcement authorities, to stop this type of behavior,” Williams said in the release. “This remains an active investigation, and further criminal charges may be filed, and local licensing actions may be taken.”
The arrest comes months after the Town Council revoked A’s liquor license in February after allegations of alcohol sales to minors and the possession of individually packaged pills.
Williams, Detective Anthony Dieni and School Resource Officer Michael Healey shared testimonies from parents about finding their children with alcohol. Healey said students told him about purchasing alcohol and smoking paraphernalia from A’s.
Williams also told the council about a Longmeadow Police Department traffic stop on Oct. 31, 2025, where officers located a case of alcohol in a teenager’s car. The teenager claimed he had purchased it at A’s.
A Jan. 28 search by the Massachusetts State Police, the Alcohol Beverages Control Committee and the FBI found the individually packaged pills, suggested to be prescription medication for sale. Previous reports of marijuana sales could not be verified at the time.
Councilor Kathy Hill had compared A’s violations with the other 28 establishments in town with liquor licenses. The other 28 tallied one violation over six years and A’s had 12 since 2019, leading the council to note these weren’t isolated incidents.
Sher said the business checks the license of every person who purchases alcohol and that camera footage would prove it, but that many customers did look like students under the age of 30 with Connecticut IDs.
He added that he didn’t have an electronic scanner and that it is difficult to verify if an ID is authentic without one, stating police officers should help him verify by checking vehicles once they leave the store.
Town Council President Ralph Page told Reminder Publishing that the council has been made aware of the police actions at the business and are weighing all options going forward.
