DEA Cracks Down on Synthetic Drugs in South Carolina

As we recently reported, Federal Agents are cracking down on synthetic drugs.   On Tuesday, May 20th, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officers raided two business in South Carolina.  Officers arrested the owner on South Carolina Federal drug charges for selling synthetic drugs, including “spice” and “bath salts,” which the DEA has deemed illegal.

The DEA has also been cracking down on K2 sales. The DEA haulted sales of K2, a strain of synthetic marijuana, to allow its dangerous side effects to be reviewed. Although K2 was officially banned  in 2012, synthetic drug creators have manufactured several strains of synthetic marijuana since then which are technically legal.

In the recent Columbia synthetic drug crackdown, DEA agents reportedly found numerous packets of “Black Diamond,” another type of synthetic drugs popular with drug users looking for an easy, cheap, and quick fix.

US Attorney General Bill Nettles stated that the DEA seeks $405,000 from the Columbia business owner and his businesses.

Reviewing whether an illegal search and seizure of synthetic drugs took place is essential to any South Carolina Federal Drug Crimes defense.  An experienced South Carolina synthetic drug charges attorney will fight to have your charges potentially reduced or even dismissed. The Strom Law Firm, LLC always evaluates whether or not law enforcement properly conducted a search and seizure and will request and analyze all of the evidence to determine how to present the most effective defense possible.

Synthetic Drugs Becoming More and More Available

The DEA recently made three types of synthetic marijuana specifically illegal so that they could investigate how the drug is distributed and made. Many synthetic drugs are difficult to test for – in part because the chemical structure of the drugs can be easily changed, and because the drugs are very new and drug tests do not look for those specific molecules in the body. However, the larger problem is their easy availability, and their legal status which makes them accessible to underage users.

According to Drug Recognition Experts Bob Welsh and Tracy Durbin, there are hundreds of new synthetic drugs being made every day, many of which are available for purchase on the internet. After the synthetic drugs are purchased on the internet,  they are shipped through the mail.  The postal service does not have a foolproof way to detect the chemicals yet. Welsh and Durbin say that many of the drugs are made in unregulated labs in China and India, then are shipping through internet orders to the US.

Synthetic drugs are hard to detect.  A study from last year concluded that synthetic drugs like synthetic marijuana do not show up on every drug tests. According to a new study by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a quarter to one-third of young men passing through the District of Columbia’s criminal justice system tested clean on conventional drug tests, but newer tests showed they had used synthetic marijuana. The study took urine samples from 482 people, entering the DC Criminal Justice System between November 2012 and March 2013. Testing for 12 substances known to be synthetic marijuana, or synthetic cannaboids, showed that men under 30, often on parole or probation, were the heaviest users.

The current standard drug panel, which tests for alcohol and a variety of illegal drugs, does not often pick up synthetic marijuana. According to the study, 39% of the men who tested positive for synthetic marijuana on a more rigorous test, ended up testing negative for the designer drug on the standard panel.

The Strom Law Firm Can Defend Against Charges Involving Synthetic Drugs

The drug crime attorneys at Strom Law Firm, LLC will aggressively defend your case whether you are under investigation or have been arrested for drugs in all State and Federal Courts in South Carolina as well as the Federal Courts in Georgia. Drug cases, including synthetic drug charges,  need to be examined from every angle.  In many cases the penalties for South Carolina drug charges are subject to mandatory minimum sentences.  Aggressive representation can protect your future. The criminal defense lawyers at the Strom Law Firm, LLC know the evidence to look for, including whether a search warrant or arrest warrant issued in your case was properly executed and the standards by which all investigations, searches, and arrests should be performed.

If you or a loved one are under investigation for, and/or have been arrested for possessing or distributing a synthetic drug, such as synthetic marijuana, K2, or spice,  The Strom Law Firm, LLC can help. Do not let charges for synthetic drugs hurt your reputation or your future aspirations. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. Contact us today for help. 803.252.4800