A raid led to over 90 arrests and seizure of millions of packets of incense by federal officials. The material is currently being tested to determine if it contains any illegal substances that would allow U.S. prosecutors to charge the group with federal drug trafficking. The product is often referred to by law enforcement and other government officials as synthetic marijuana, though it may be nothing of the sort.
A Boca Raton man was arrested in March for selling incense and testing showed that no illegal ingredients appeared in the product. He was sill charged because he acknowledged that, despite warning labels indicating the product was not for human consumption, he knew people were ingesting it. That he was still charged demonstrates how eager law enforcement officials are to penalize those even tangentially related in the synthetic drug trade.
The interest in synthetic drugs such as “bath salts” has risen dramatically recently after several strange incidents were incorrectly attributed to their use. Statistics show that the use of such drugs is on the rise, particularly among young people.
If you have been arrested or charged, or if you believe that you are being investigated in connection with synthetic drugs, you should speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.
Source: Examiner, “Obama’s DEA arrests 90 individual for selling incense,” by Karl Dickey, 27 July 2012
