The Jackson-Madison County Metro Narcotics Unit served search warrants Wednesday on five local businesses suspected of selling synthetic drugs to their customers. The Metro Narcotics Unit, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division and the Jackson Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit performed this operation which was a continuation of an investigation into synthetic drug sales that began in October 2011. Metro Narcotics Investigators attempted to purchase synthetic drugs from several local businesses suspected of selling the illegal substances and were successful at purchasing from five of them. As a result of the purchases, search warrants were obtained for those locations to seize their illegal inventory and monetary drug proceeds and to seek out additional evidence of synthetic drug trafficking. Search warrants were served on three of these locations during a similar operation conducted by Metro Narcotics in November 2011. The locations of the latest operation are as follows:

Superway at 795 Airways Blvd.

Superway at 1435 Riverside Drive

Superway at 151 Law Road

BP at 154 Law Road

BP at 2655 North Highland Ave.

During this operation, officers seized a total of 1,029 packages of synthetic Cannabinoids some of which also contain actual Marijuana, 361 packages of synthetic Methcathinones, 24 Viagra pills of foreign origin and 1,330 items of drug paraphernalia. The local prices of these items vary, however the synthetic drugs have an estimated resell value of $21,000 and the drug paraphernalia seized is valued at over $20,000. Additionally, $50,204.71 in U.S. currency and coins believed to be the proceeds of synthetic drug sales was seized from the businesses under the civil forfeiture laws of the Tennessee Drug Control Act.