Arrest warrants have been issued for 13 members of Smoker’s Video in connection to a long-term synthetic drug investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Mike Williams says more than 200 undercover purchases were made at Smoker’s Video locations starting in Oct. 2015.
“These synthetic drugs are typically shredded plant material, infused with chemicals, that are smoked by the users,” Williams said Thursday. “The chemicals are not marijuana, although they are intended to mimic the effects of marijuana. Instead, these chemical compounds can have unpredictable effects on the human body.”
The members face felony charges for operating a continuing criminal enterprise, participating in a pattern of racketeering activity, knowingly misbranding drugs, sale of control substances and delivery of paraphernalia.
During the raids, $62,000 in cash, 261 vials of synthetic “Sunshine” and more than 3,000 bags of “Breeze” were seized.
One store owner, and manager, Ronald Brown, faces a manslaughter charge for the death of Clay County 16-year-old Matthew Purdy, who died while smoking the synthetic drug “Sunshine,” hours after purchasing the substance from the Smoker’s Video location on Normandy Blvd. Smoker’s Video on Oct. 8.
Days earlier, an undercover purchase of “Sunshine” was made at the same Smoker’s Video location. The substance was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing, and tested positive as a scheduled controlled substance.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office is prosecuting the case, as it stretches multiple counties.
“Synthetic drug dealers are willing to put poison on to our streets and in to our kids,” Bondi said. “They’re not your typical drug dealers – they’re for-profit predators.”
Bondi says the drug dealers work as chemists, to manipulate the compound of their product to avoid prosecution. She says this is the reason this investigation was drawn out.
While 136 compounds were outlawed through orders from the attorney general’s office, Bondi says law enforcement continue to be one step behind drug dealers, who quickly manipulate their compounds.
Before the passing of the “Analog Bill,” Bondi would have to sign emergency orders to outlaw compounds, the orders would have to be made law by the state legislature and the governor would have to sign off.
Now, law enforcement doesn’t have to “chase the compounds, it’s analoged.”
“You no longer have a place to hide, based on this new legislation,” Bondi said. “You can’t hide behind saying that your compound is different and not yet illegal.
Both Bondi and Williams urged citizens to continue to step forward if they have any information about these drugs, or if they know someone using synthetic drugs.
