A self-styled influencer who frequently poses for photos with stacks of cash and a Lamborghini is suspected of selling vapes and beer to kids in exchange for Instagram follows.

The big picture: Undercover agents listened while employees at Saif Al-Fatlawi's City Corner convenience stores in Salt Lake and Murray made sales to underage customers that appeared to be as young as middle schoolers, police wrote in arrest documents.

• "No one was asked for identification," police wrote. "Instead, customers were required to show they followed City Corner or Saif Al-Fatlawi on Instagram before purchasing beer, e-cigarettes, and THC products."

The latest: Al-Fatlawi, who goes by Sword Kash, was arrested at the SLC airport last week as he was about to board a flight with a one-way ticket to Miami.

What they're saying: Al-Fatlawi's attorney didn't immediately respond to Axios' query.

By the numbers: The City Corner Instagram account showed no posts as of yesterday — but had 28,000 followers.

• His personal account has 13,000 followers.

Catch up quick: Al-Fatlawi already faced unresolved felony charges from 2025 of distributing shrooms and cannabis from his 11th East store and similar 2024 charges at the Murray store.

The fine print: In new charges filed this week, Al-Fatlawi also was accused of illegally selling cannabis from his Murray store.

• Charges have not yet been filed in the most recent allegations from the Salt Lake store, where police wrote that they arrested an employee who "admitted that minors purchase beer and tobacco at the store and learn about it through Instagram."
• Investigators later found "contraband" in multiple rooms of the building, police wrote, and "semi-automatic long guns … lying out in the living areas."
• The arrest warrant also cites reports that Al-Fatlawi "confronted and threatened" neighbors who filed complaints about the stores.

Context: The 11th East store is in a thoroughly bougie neighborhood.

What we're watching: Whether Al-Fatlawi's new gas station and taco truck at 1100 East and 1700 South remain open.

Tell a shopper

Kevin O'Leary, the "Shark Tank" celebrity investor behind the massive data center proposed in Box Elder County, sits at Gov. Spencer Cox's desk in a photo posted by a staffer to LinkedIn Jan. 8.

Why it matters: That was weeks before the data center, which is projected to quadruple the electricity generated and used in Utah, had been addressed in any public meeting.

The intrigue: The project received state and county approvals in a process that O'Leary himself called "unprecedented" in its speed, with only one public hearing that didn't receive media attention until after it was over.

• That's led to questions as to the genesis of the proposal and accusations of secrecy.

The bottom line: The plan has triggered a groundswell of bipartisan, populist rage over the influence of the investor class.

• That's unlikely to be quelled by a photo op of the data center's wealthy standard-bearer, sitting behind the desk of the state's highest government office.

Share this item

🔎 The Salt Lake City Council is calling off an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by former member Eva Lopez Chavez, whose seat was vacated after a separate investigation found she lived outside of her district. (KSL.com)

• Lopez Chavez is appealing her ouster.

🔘 A plan to equip Utah's students with panic buttons is on hold because of a legal dispute with the supplier. (KUTV)

• State officials say Raptor Technologies issued a press release about the project before the agreement was official.

⛓️‍💥A judge has ordered the immediate release of a 22-year-old SLC man who was detained by immigration agents last month after living in the U.S. since he was one year old. (FOX 13)

Stay off the road this afternoon if you want to avoid the worst Memorial Day weekend traffic, according to INRIX forecasts.

Why it matters: AAA predicts this will be the busiest Memorial Day ever for travel — meaning your departure time could make or break your trip.

Zoom in: Sunday is a good driving day, per INRIX, a transportation data analytics company that works with AAA to calculate travel times.

By the numbers: AAA anticipates that more than 45 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more over Memorial Day weekend. That's 200,000 more than last year.

• The bulk of them — more than 39 million travelers — will be driving.

What we're watching: Aggressive Monday-morning drivers.

• AAA and Cambridge Mobile Telematics clocked a 29% spike in Memorial Day speeding compared to other Mondays, with speeding peaking 7am–9am.

Tell a traveler