Store Owners Arrested for Selling K2 Synthetic Marijuana

Twelve (12) persons working at local Polk County stores were arrested for selling products containing synthetic cannabinoids, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced today. An arrest warrant has been issued for another store employee who is out of the state.   All are being charged with Possession and Sale of an Imitation Controlled Substance, a third degree felony.  The substances, typically known as K2, Spice, or K3 (and other titles) contain herbs, spices, and various types of dried plant material sprayed with (chemical) synthetic cannabinoids.

The products are informally marketed in stores as synthetic marijuana, and overtly marketed on the Internet as “synthetic marijuana.”   These synthetic cannabinoid compounds are known by several different chemical names, including:  JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP 47/497, JWH-081, JWH-250, HU-211, HU-210, and other similar chemicals.  The products have been sold under various names and marketing gimmicks, including:  Mister Happy Time (with a smiley face on the package), K2-Grape, K2-Blue, K2-Pink, K2-Orange, K2-Pineapple, K2-Cloud Nine, K2-Blonde, K2-Crush, Spike Diamond, K3-Black Mamba, K3 Kryptonite, and K3-Dynamite.  Local prices for about 3 grams of product range from $10 to $20.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives checked 268 stores in Polk County, beginning the first week of November, 2010. Store personnel were asked by the undercover detectives if they could buy the “K2” products—the overwhelming majority of the stores told the detectives that they either never sold the products, or removed the products after the announcement that criminal enforcement would take place.

Nine stores in Polk County sold K2/Spice synthetic cannabinoid products to undercover PCSO detectives. The 9 stores are:

• 7-Days Food Mart, 1123 6th Street, NW, Winter Haven (5 packets of K2 Spice—purchased by 16-year-old Sheriff’s Office Explorer)

• My Deli Food Mart, 3250 Hwy 17/Lake Ida, Winter Haven (2 packets of K2 Spice)

• Dundee Food Mart, 915 Dundee Road, Dundee (1 packet of K2 Kush—purchased by 17-year-old Sheriff’s Office Explorer.  An adult under cover detective also later purchased 4 packets of K2 Spice and 1 jar of “Mr. Nice Guy” and 1 packet of rolling papers.)

• Sunoco Convenience Store, 1615 W. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland (1 jar of K-2 Spice and 1 packet of rolling papers)

• ARKH Convenience Store, 3405 E. Main Street, Lakeland (1 jar of Red Magic and 1 jar of Blaze Spice)

• Low Ball Louie’s Tobacco Store, 7058 State Road 37, Mulberry (4 jars of K2 Spice, packet of rolling papers, a grinder, and a Hookah Bong)

• Sunoco Store, 3230 Hwy 98 N., Lakeland (10 packets of Mr. Nice Guy Spice)

• Stop & Save, 585 West Clower Street, Bartow (2 packets of K2 Spice and 1 packet of K3 Spice, 1 grinder and blunt wraps)

• Grab and Go Food Mart (Chevron), 558 N. 5th St., Eagle Lake (1 packet K2 Kush—purchased by 16-year-old Sheriff’s Office Explorer)

Those 12 arrested plus one arrest warrant issued (total 13) are: (all addresses provided are based on PCSO Booking Information and Florida Driver’s License information):

• Avinash Jnananand (owner), 3906 Osprey Pointe Circle, Winter Haven, Date of Birth (DOB): 05/16/1972

• Mariana Hernandez (owner), 618 Chadbury Way, Kissimmee, DOB 06/05/1968

• Kamlesh C. Patel (owner), 2330 Colony Club Dr., Lakeland, DOB 09/08/1958

• Mirzali Lakhani (owner), 9455 Swift Creek Circle, Dover, DOB 10/6/60; Nazeema Lakhani, 12011 Royce Waterford Circle, Tampa, DOB 7/7/65

• Ketan Chitroda, 2925 Delrose Drive, N., Lakeland, DOB 10/01/1980

• Tammi Rena Siegfried (owner), 14149 Eden Isle Blvd., Windermere, DOB 05/17/1975; Mary Louise Roche, 3455 Sandpiper Lane, Mulberry, DOB 10/13/1951; Ladonna Sue Bates, 8007 Apache Trail, Lakeland, DOB 11/30/1967;

• Monsi George, 6265 Hampton Pointe Cir., Lakeland, DOB 07/21/1961

• Thomas K Alummootil (owner), 6253 Kingbird Manor Dr., Lithia, DOB 04/30/1965

• Munir Issa Alnobani, 2100 Clover Ridge Court, Eagle Lake, DOB 10/21/1965