Capitol Hemp’s two D.C. locations — in Adams Morgan and Chinatown — were raided by police last night, resulting in the seizure of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and the arrest of seven employees. The stores sell products made of hemp, as well as water pipes and vaporizers that can be used for tobacco. (And yes, they can be used for marijuana, as well.)

The flagship location opened in Adams Morgan in 2008, and is owned by Adam Eidinger, a local activist, political consultant and advocate for medical marijuana. According to a source close to the store, they will reopen tomorrow.

UPDATE (1:25 p.m.): According to a source, the two stores were raided simultaneously at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with some 15 police officers entering each location. Four people, including one customer, were arrested in Adams Morgan; three employees were arrested in Chinatown. Some of those arrested were found to have small amounts of marijuana on them, but the raids seem to have been motivated by the sale of drug paraphernalia. (Selling water pipes in the District is not illegal, and other stores in Adams Morgan similarly sell them; police have to prove that intent existed to use such paraphernalia for illegal purposes.)

Sources told us that the stores would not sell pipes or other smoking implements to anyone who hinted they would use them for illegal drugs. He also said that the stores sell loose tobacco, and that they discontinued the sale of “spice,” a form of synthetic marijuana declared illegal by the federal government in late 2010 March 2011, last December.

UPDATE (2:45 p.m.): The Metropolitan Police Department returned our call and broke down the charges. At the Chinatown location, the three employees arrested face charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. At the Adams Morgan location, the three employees arrested face possession with intent to distribute, and a customer faces a charge of possession of marijuana.

All the police would say is that the raids were part of an “ongoing investigation.”

According to an expert we spoke to, the charges related to drug paraphernalia are likely related to a provision of the D.C. Code that prohibits “Objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing Cannabis, cocaine, hashish, hashish oil, or any other controlled substance into the human body.” Earlier this year, a D.C. court upheld the provisions of the paraphernalia law against a lawsuit claiming they are unconstitutionally vague.

The City Paper reports that at least $3,000 worth of paraphernalia was seized from the two locations.

UPDATE (3 p.m.): Huffington Post reports that Adam Eidinger, who owns Capitol Hemp, has claimed that a political motive exists for the raids. Essentially, he argues, his opposition to a new $46 million boutique hotel and calls for protesters to occupy Adams Morgan have made him something of a neighborhood pariah.