DEA Raids Crack Down on Synthetic Drugs

May 8, 2014

DEA agents launched raids in 29 states across the country on Wednesday, making more than 150 arrests and serving 200 warrants, while also seizing more than $20 million in cash and assets.

Synthetic drugs are chemically laced substances, including chemically formulated versions of synthetic marijuana such as K2 or Spice, as well as chemical compounds that mimic the effects of cocaine or meth marketed as "bath salts." Manufacturers have been able to sell the drugs over the counter by labeling them “not for human consumption” in an effort to avoid FDA regulations.

In related news, the U.S. Treasury Department announced the first ever designation of synthetic drug traffickers as kingpins under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The government’s decision to sanction specific individuals accused of being kingpins, along with four foreign companies that authorities said were used to buy and sell chemicals used in popular synthetic drugs, means that U.S. citizens can no longer do business with the identified companies.

Read the AP press release