Cops: Drug paraphernalia for sale at gas station; owner, attendant arrested

A North Bellmore gas station owner and attendant were arrested Friday after police found drug paraphernalia for sale at the station, police said.

The arrests came after police, responding to community complaints about drug and tobacco sales to minors, conducted "several hours of observation" and interviewed youths leaving the Gito gas station at 1206 Bellmore Ave., Nassau police said in a news release.

Salih Elmali, 49, of 1184 Vollkmmer Place, was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia and five counts of unlawfully dealing with a child, police said.

At the time of Elmali's arrest at 12:30 Friday morning, officers "observed in the store assorted items believed to be drug paraphernalia on display for sale," the news release said. "These items included electronic scales, clear and colored plastic envelopes in various sizes and clear glass stems commonly used to smoke narcotics."

A short time after Elmali was arrested, gas station owner Muzammal Afzal, 43, of 66 Lois Court, East Meadow, showed up at the scene and was arrested, police said. Afzal was charged with two counts of criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

Afzal and Elmali will be arraigned Friday in First District Court, Hempstead.