Central IL synthetic drug distributor uncovered
Investigators from the Illinois State's Attorney's Office and local law enforcement smoked out a synthetic drug manufacturer in central Illinois, seizing a cache of drugs worth nearly $100,000. Watch the VIDEO HERE.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Monday that Jersey County was the latest target of Operation Smoke Out, an effort to stop the distribution and production of synthetic drugs, including synthetic marijuana and stimulants known as Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, K2 and spice.
Officers and investigators seized drugs — worth $32,000 on the street — from William F. Brockman Tobacco and Candy Wholesale in Jerseyville. They also found drugs valued at $65,000 at the home of a Brockman Wholesale employee.
This particular wholesaler is suspected of supplying synthetic drugs to retailers and communities as far south as Benton all the way over to the Decatur area.
Madigan’s office began the fight to stop synthetic drug abuse after calls to Poison Control Centers concerning the side effects of the drugs doubled from 2010 to 2011.
In the fall, Illinois banned specific formulas of synthetic drugs.