DEA cracks down on synthetic drugs

Six Southeast Missouri businesses, including three in Cape Girardeau County, were raided Wednesday as part of nationwide law enforcement operation to remove synthetic drugs from store shelves.

In addition to the businesses in Cape Girardeau County, businesses in New Madrid, Butler and Ripley counties were raided, said Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force director Sgt. Mark McClendon. McClendon did not identify the businesses.

The raids, part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Operation Log Jam, resulted in the seizure of 5,335 bags of synthetic cannabinoids, sometimes called K2 or spice, he said. Each bag contained 3 to 5 grams of the product, and Southeast Missouri law enforcement seized 26,734 grams of spice, with an estimated value of $320,815. The task force worked with local law enforcement in the areas where the seizures occurred, McClendon said.

No arrests were made, but could be if charges are filed by local prosecutors, he said.

In addition to the products, agents seized about $35,000 cash, pending a forfeiture hearing.

"We hope this will put pressure on businesses to cease what they are doing," McClendon said. "We hope this will put them on notice. This was a nationwide takedown."

More than 115,700 packets of synthetic marijuana, more than 95,300 packets of synthetic drugs known as bath salts and $1.4 million in proceeds were seized by the St. Louis Division of the DEA as part of the first nationwide law enforcement action against the synthetic designer drug industry, a news release said.

The DEA said nearly 100 people nationwide were arrested and more than 5 million packets seized.

"DEA is attacking the problems of synthetic drug abuse, manufacturing and trafficking and the dangerous threat it poses to the St. Louis region," said Acting Special Agent-in-Charge James P. Shroba. "These are dangerous, deadly chemicals that are marketed as safe and legal, and nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone involved in the dangerous synthetic drug trade should think twice as DEA is attacking this epidemic at every level."

jgamm@semissourian.com

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