Federal agents and local police arrested 28 people last week tied to a synthetic drug ring selling bath salts and synthetic marijuana nationwide.
The drug ring imported chemicals with misleading labels and descriptions from China and other countries, according to four indictments filed in the U.S. District Court in the past month. Workers in the St. Louis area and in Indiana used the chemicals to make and sell drugs that resemble methamphetamine and marijuana, though with more dangerous side effects.
The indictments say the ring made synthetic cathinones, a “speed” type drug more commonly known as bath salts, by cutting the imported chemicals with laxative powder and giving the product a new name, such as Full Throttle, Fresh, Limited, Starry Nights, Twisted, Pump It and Blitz.
The drug ring also used the chemicals to make a synthetic version of marijuana by liquefying the chemicals in acetone, spraying them onto herbs and adding flavorings, such as “Tasty Puff.” The drug, which is more powerful and unpredictable than marijuana, was sold under the names Mega Kush, Mad Hatter, Bayou Blaster, Avalon, Pirates Booty, Lights Out, Golden Leaf, DEEW, Cloud 9, Primo, Optima and Crazy Eyes.
Read more over at the Riverfront Times.