Two men were arrested after Caddo Parish authorities said a year-long drug trafficking investigation reached Shreveport and Bossier City. Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. said the case involved suspected Schedule I substances, cash, and searches tied to both a business and a home.
The investigation began with a tip about activity at Elsie’s Auto and Truck Plaza on Highway 1, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies later connected the case to a Bossier City address, while officials said the investigation remained ongoing afterward.
How the Investigation Started on Highway 1
Detectives with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said the case began with a tip about suspected illegal activity at Elsie’s Auto and Truck Plaza on Highway 1 in Shreveport. That detail matters because the investigation started with a specific business, not a random stop.
Investigators allege Arshad Bhimani, 39, was the business manager and sold concealed Schedule I kratom products to customers. The allegation gives the case a retail setting, where products could appear ordinary from the front while police believed something else was happening.
Deputies said the products were kept in a back room to avoid detection, which is the detail that pushed the case beyond simple shelf sales. If investigators can prove concealment, it may help explain intent, storage, and distribution patterns.
What Deputies Seized During the Searches
Deputies executed search warrants at Elsie’s Auto and Truck Plaza in Shreveport and a home on Waterbury Drive in Bossier City. Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. said the year-long case led to Schedule I substances and more than $318,000 in cash.
The list of seized items included 1,080 pills of 7-Hydroxymitragynine, 450 dosage units of 7 Star, 210 dosage units of Pressed, and 293 dosage units of O.P.M.S. Those numbers show why deputies treated the products as distribution evidence rather than loose inventory alone.
Deputies also reported 36 ounces of UPass synthetic urine, 1,530 mL of O.P.M.S. Liquid, 24 dosage units of ON7, 27 grams of 1836 Kratom, and two Hydroxie packs. The synthetic urine item connects directly to screening test concerns inside the case.
What Charges the Two Men Face
Karim Merchant, 65, was arrested in Bossier City and charged with possession with intent to distribute, according to authorities. That charge points to what deputies believe the seized products were for, not only where they were found during the searches.
Arshad Bhimani, 39, was arrested in Caddo Parish and booked on two counts of manufacturing or distributing a Schedule I substance. Investigators allege he managed Elsie’s Auto and Truck Plaza and sold concealed kratom products from the business in Shreveport.
Bhimani also faces one count of possession of a Schedule I substance with intent to distribute and one count of unlawfully supplying a product for falsifying a screening test. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.
Endnote
Debate around this case sits at the edge of retail access and drug enforcement. Kratom products can look like ordinary counter items, but deputies say some were hidden, making the real issue whether stores are being used to move controlled substances quietly.
The next chapters should come through court filings, lab details, and any updates from Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. Because the investigation remains ongoing, prosecutors may still explain how the $318,000, synthetic urine, and Schedule I products fit together.