Two charged with selling vapes to minors at Nassau County stores, cops say

Two men were arrested during an undercover operation by Nassau police and charged with selling vape products to minors, Nassau police said Thursday.

Chu Jian Zheng, 43, of Brooklyn, and Melson Manigault, 22, of Rosedale, Queens, both sold JUUL Mint Pods to minors who were actually underage undercover agents working with the Nassau police department’s narcotics vice squad, police said. Purchasing vape products are by law restricted to patrons who are at least 21, police said.

Zheng sold four JUUL Mint Pods to minors at Happiness & Fortune Grocery, on North Central Avenue in Valley Stream, police said.

Manigault sold two JUUL Mint Pods to minors at a Gulf station on Linden Boulevard in Elmont, police said. Police did not specify when Zheng and Manigault allegedly sold the products.

The operation was dubbed “Vape Out” and detectives “utilized underage agents … to purchase age restricted products,” police said.

Zheng and Manigault were charged with Town of Hempstead violations for sale of age-restricted products and issued appearances tickets, police said. Both are due in Second District Court in Hempstead on Nov. 12, police said.