Marianna FCI officers indicted for bribery & smuggling contraband

PANAMA CITY –Two Correctional Officers at the Federal Correctional Institution in Marianna (FCI-Marianna) – Steven M. Smith, 28, and Mary S. Summers, 30, both of Marianna – have been charged in separate indictments with corruption-related offenses.

The indictments were announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Smith and Summers were arraigned on their respective indictments before United States Magistrate Judge Larry Bodiford in Panama City.

The indictment charging Smith alleges that, between April and November of 2011, Smith agreed to smuggle contraband, including synthetic marijuana known as “spice,” a cellular telephone and tobacco, into FCI-Marianna and to deliver it to inmates housed there in exchange for cash and stored-value cards. For his conduct, Smith has been charged with one count of conspiracy to bribe a public official, three counts of official bribery and three counts of smuggling contraband to a federal inmate. The indictment charging Summers alleges that, June 8, 2011 and June 24, 2011, Summers smuggled contraband, including cellular telephones, tobacco, a lighter and a music player, into FCI-Marianna and delivered it to an inmate housed there in exchange for cash payments. For her conduct, Summers has been charged with two counts of official bribery and two counts of smuggling contraband to a federal inmate.

If convicted, Smith and Summers each face up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, disqualification from holding any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States and three years of supervised release. Trial will be scheduled in each case for August 27, 2012, before United States District Judge Richard Smoak.

This case is being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Department of Justice and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gayle Littleton.

An indictment is merely a formal charge by the grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until the government establishes their guilt at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bath Salt Wedding Bouquet: A Fool-Proof Way To Turn Your Wedding Party Into The Donner Party

http://www.beau-coup.com

For any brides-to-be looking to potentially turn their special day into a fucking blood bath, you’re in luck…

As was brought to our attention by a friend who’s about to walk down the aisle — under the subject “Just found a winner for our wedding favors. Let’s get weird…,” — several companies offer bath salt bouquets as gifts for bridal parties.

Granted, bath salts have uses other than to get you high enough to eat people — like, for example, taking baths — but given the seemingly endless headlines about cannibalistic bath salt users, perhaps a mani/pedi might be a more appropriate gift for the gals this wedding season.

For the bargain price of $3.95 each, glowing brides can treat their bridal party to a basket of personalized bath salts.

Here’s the description of the gift from “Beaucoup”:

Bathe your senses in luxury with these personalized bath salt favors. Whether you select a seductive scent for your wedding or a soothing scent for your bridal shower, guests will simply purr with pleasure–even before they’ve popped the cork.

Each bottle can be customized with a single initial, 3-letter monogram or text in the font of your choice. The clear plastic bottles are filled with your choice of colored scented bath salts: pink (pomegranate), white (vanilla), blue (tropical blend), green (aloe), purple (black raspberry), or yellow (almond honey). Each 6-oz. bottle measures 2″W x 4.5″H and is topped with a genuine cork. A black or white satin bow completes the look.

That, of course, is assuming the recipient doesn’t smoke, snort, or inject the gift. If one junkie bridesmaid sees a bottle of bath salts as an invitation to get fucked up on synthetic drugs, your wedding party could end up looking more like the Donner Party.

In the past few months, there have been multiple cases of people using bath salts and then — often times while naked — attempt to eat people…or dogs.

Yesterday, we told you about a woman who got high on bath salts while in the hospital after having a baby. She attacked hospital staff after they found her rolling around naked on the floor of a shower.

On Tuesday, there was the case of Karl Laventure, who was found walking around a Georgia golf course naked. When police showed up, he started rambling about Tupac and Biggie before threatening to eat the cops.

Last week, we told you about a Texas man who ate his family’s dog. He, however, was high on synthetic marijuana, which apparently has the same cannibalistic side-effects as bath salts.

Just a day earlier, we reported on a woman who tried to eat a cop while under the influence of bath salts.

A few weeks earlier, for the second time in less than a month, a Florida man — 26-year-old Charles Baker — was arrested for allegedly taking a bite out someone, also while under the influence of bath salts.

About two weeks before that, a Louisiana man also is suspected of being under the influence of bath salts when he gnawed the face of his neighbor.

And lest we forget the story that kicked off the “Zombie Apocalypse” craze — Miami “zombie” Rudy Eugene, who was suspected to be under the influence of drugs at the time of a brutal cannibalistic attack that left his victim, Ronald Poppo, without a face. Eugene, it turns out, was sober at the time of the attack — an autopsy revealed that the only thing in his system was marijuana.

Again, ladies — you’re probably better off just going with the mani/pedi.

Congress Passes the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (Synthetic Drugs)

Carmel, New York—

The Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition commends Congress for passing the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, S. 3187, which requires 26 synthetic chemicals, including those commonly found in products marketed as “K2” and “Spice” to be considered Schedule I substances.  Schedule I substances are those with a high potential for abuse; have no medical use in treatment in the United States; and lack an accepted safety for use of the drug.

This federal law would establish regulatory oversight and enforcement on the federal level of these 26 drugs commonly found in synthetic marijuana known as “K2” and “Spice.” The new law also allows the DEA or FDA to temporarily ban the drugs for as long as 36 months. The legislation creates a new definition for “cannabamimetic agents” and sets criteria for the regulation of similar chemical compounds.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, “States ought to work to ensure that they have themselves scheduled on a State level all the substances incorporated into the Federal legislation. Although state laws vary, generally state law enforcement officials will not enforce narcotics laws on substances controlled on a Federal level but not a State level.  DEA will naturally focus their limited resources on major distribution networks and cross-state and international trafficking of these substances and their component chemicals.  DEA wants to be as helpful as possible to state authorities and to partner in investigations, but the reality is that they do not have the manpower to enforce these controls on the thousands of individual retail outlets that may sell them across the country. Both Federal and State agencies will have to continue to review and update the list of banned substances as new versions are produced and distributed.  Due to the huge profitability of these substances and the difficulty many prosecutors have in making these cases, ONDCP would encourage state and local agencies to continue to attempt to use their State health/safety/agricultural authorities to remove these substances from store shelves.  Further, civil fines and other penalties continue to be another useful tool to motive retailers to stop selling these substances. The Federal scheduling of the additional synthetic substances is an important step forward, but not the end of the story. All of us must continue to be creative in finding solutions to this continually evolving drug problem.”

Synthetic marijuana is a mixture of herbs and spices applied with a synthetic chemical compound (psychotropic drug JWH- 018 and JWH-073) similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Spice is sold in smoke shops and head shops in a variety of colors/flavors-usually sold in foil packaging or in small glass containers. It is sold as incense and marked “not for human consumption” and is dangerous and addictive.  Nicknames for synthetic marijuana include: Fake weed, spice, K-2 spice, K-2 summit, Black Mamba, Genie, Zohai, Serenity Now, Zombie Zilla. According to the American Association of Poison Control Center’s National Poison Data System (NPDS) the emergency calls doubled between 2010 and 2011 due to synthetic drug use.

If you have concerns or suspect a person of using synthetic cannabinoidstake the  individual to the nearest emergency department. The Upstate New York Poison Control Center can be reached at 1-800-222-1222. If you are someone you know is struggling with alcohol and addiction, please call the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam for information and referral services at (845) 225-4646

RUSSIA FEARS NEW EPIDEMIC OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA

MOSCOW | Russia’s leading anti-drug crusader says the abuse of synthetic marijuana is turning into a “horrible” epidemic in his country.

Experts say a range of hallucinogens known as “spice” are very hard to kick, and addicts lose sleep, weight and get kidney and brain disorders from them.

Evgeny Roizman, who spoke Wednesday, heads a rehabilitation clinic in the central city of Ekaterinburg.

Concerned about the spread of “spice,” Russian drug enforcement agencies have banned several of its chemical ingredients. But producers can easily change the chemical makeup to come up with new brands, which are advertised online and widely sold across Russia.

Components of “spice” have been banned in several European nations and in parts of the United States.

2 charged with possessing synthetic marijuana

A Rome man and a Shannon man were arrested and charged Thursday after they allegedly were in possession of synthetic marijuana at the Floyd County Work Release Center, according to Floyd County Jail reports.

According to the reports:

Kevin Von Clifton, 21, of 94 Woodland St., and Kevin Joseph Degraft, 29, of 14 New Hermitage Road in Shannon, were each charged with giving convicts articles or items without consent of warden, did not complete work release and a probation violation.

Both men remained in jail Thursday night without bonds.

At this time RN-T.com is no longer allowing our web readers to post comments on arrest reports. While we realize the importance of public discourse, many of the comments have been abusive of both the arrest subjects, police and other readers.

Mansfield Crime Lab Sees New Synthetic Drugs

MANSFIELD — The next generation of synthetic cannabinoids has turned up in the police crime lab.

“In a two-week period, a number of samples came through that I initially wasn’t able to identify,” crime lab director Tony Tambasco said.

According to Tambasco, there were 14 suspected Ecstasy samples. One sample proved to be Ecstasy, while eight others contained a drug commonly seen in Ecstasy.

“I’ve got five that are just strange,” Tambasco said. “They look to be two or three different things.

“They’re brand new to us.”

They could be brand new to users, too.

“People really don’t know what they’re taking,” Tambasco said. “They don’t know what they’re getting involved in.”

Tambasco said the new drugs are a response to other synthetic cannabinoids being banned. In June 2011, Mansfield outlawed synthetic cannabinoids and other synthetic drugs, including bath salts, in response to the bath salts epidemic.

In October, the state approved a ban on bath salts and synthetic marijuana.

“Is it a cat-and-mouse game or what?” Tambasco asked. “It’s almost like they read our legislation. They (new submissions) don’t fit the banned substance groups.”

Congress has agreed to add 26 synthetic drugs to the Controlled Substances Act under Senate Bill 3187, which awaits the president’s signature. This next generation of synthetic cannabinoids is not addressed.

Tambasco said the new drugs have not been seen yet locally, but were submitted by other agencies within the 10-county METRICH Enforcement Unit region. He declined to say which communities were involved.

“We’re spending a heck of a lot of time on them,” Tambasco said. “We expect an occasional new drug to come along, but getting a bunch of these at one time is taxing.

“We want the community to know what’s out there and what the potential issues are going to be.”

The Drug Enforcement Agency has helped the city’s crime lab in providing analytical profiles.

“Having an outstanding chemist in Tony Tambasco lead our state-of-the-art crime laboratory in Mansfield has helped us to stay on top of these emerging drug trends,” police Chief Dino Sgambellone said. “The unfortunate reality with drug abuse is that as long as there are people willing to put these chemicals into their bodies, suppliers will continue to try and develop unique substances and compounds to subvert the law.”

 

New Tact, New Ingredients, for Fake Pot Dealers

If you were thinking your teen was picking up a quaint love of herbal sachets from your Great Aunt Muriel, think again.

The drug dealers, finally realizing that no one is going to believe they are selling “potpourri” in one gram packages to perfume your home, have begun marketing their product as “herbal sachet refills.”

One enterprising drug dealer even promises a free “sachet bag” with each order to, “place on a guest-room pillow or hang around your neck to repel or attract spirits.”

Isn’t that nice?  Won’t your guests be impressed with their “herbal sachet” sprayed with the latest poison of choice?  With such calming names as
“Funkey Monkey,” “Alien Technology,” and “Killa Gorilla,” your guests will feel right at home!

All sarcasm aside, this is dangerous.  Before President Obama’s signature has even wet the paper of the Synthetic Drug and Prevention Act of 2012, whole new classes of drugs are hitting the internet.

According to a Mansfield, OH police press release, new synthetic cannabinoid compounds such as AKB48, URB754, 5-fluoro UR-144, UR-144 and URB602 were identified in these “sachet refills.”

These are new synthetic cannabinoids. No one knows the physiological and toxicological properties of these new drugs.

Sheriff asking store owners to pull synthetic marijuana

Deputies are visiting convenience stores throughout Pinellas County and asking the proprietors to remove all synthetic marijuana products from their shelves. Many of them may be illegal, anyway.

PINELLAS COUNTY — Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies are visiting convenience stores passing out a letter.

It asks store owners to voluntarily take synthetic marijuana products off their shelves.

The products are commonly referred to as Spice, K2, incense and loose-leaf incense.

Under a new Florida law that went into effect Monday, 92 chemicals have been added to a list of previously banned synthetic marijuana substances.

Detectives say that isn’t stopping the manufacturers.

“They’re preying on the kids and preying on the people who want to use it, because they’re playing this whack-a-mole game,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. “The whack-a-mole game is that the Legislature bans the chemical substances, so they alter the compound, and they alter it slightly to take it outside of what’s banned.

“And then the Legislature bans it again, and then they alter the compound. This really needs to stop.”

Deputies said that if some convenience store owners refuse to voluntarily comply, they will enforce the law.

But another problem is it’s hard to tell just from looking at the product which ones are illegal.

Detectives say they have to send the substance off for testing to see if it includes one of the banned chemicals.

Gulf Boulevard convenience store owner Nazih Tageddine said when the products first came on the market they were a big moneymaker.

“You pay a dollar, you sell it for $10, That’s the problem people don’t want to stop selling it because the profit margin is really, Really big,” Tageddine said.

But when the dangers of the products came to light, Taggedine’s store stopped selling them.

“You hear all these things people getting hurt, people dying and I want to go home and sleep at night. I don’t want to feel bad that somebody died from my store,” Tageddine said.

Deputies say they have approximately 300 to 400 convenience stores to visit in the county. They’re hoping store owners will agree to participate in the voluntary program.

“I think the majority of them want to do the right thing, They’re just looking for a level playing field, so we’re going to make every effort to provide that level playing field,” Gualtieri said. “But if some businesses don’t then, there’s going to be consequences for them.”

Scooby Snax Strawberry Herbal Incense Spice Review

Scooby Snax Strawberry Herbal Spice Incense 4 Gram Bag

I wonder if originality in packaging is dead for the herbal incense market, or if it’s just the old adage that scooby doo really is the face of herbal incense, pushing and shoving its way into my favorite market.  Either way, I’m not here to judge the designer’s choice to don the front of a packet of Scooby Snax Strawberry herbal spice.

Still, props will go out to the first incense that comes across my table sporting the naked silhouette of a cartoon like betty boop.  I’m not even sure what they would name that incense – but one thing is for sure – this Scooby Snax has left me feeling relaxed, and now I think I’d rather like someone to take me home, but alas, I’m already there.  Should you join me?  Well, let’s see…

Scooby Snax is green; in fact it’s super green when I dump it out on a plate to inspect it.  The plant matter itself is twig free and fluffy; it definitely has a soft feeling to it.  I’m impressed with the color already, such a distinct difference from the bright sunset orange of the packaging.  Sticky to the touch, I’m rather curious what’s in this – the back of the package tells me what’s not in it, and that’s pretty much everything.  The scent is fruity and flowery, and one I’ve smelled before, hinting that the package contains herbs that are nothing new, but still, it smells fresh.  It’s definitely reminiscent of it’s sister blend, Scooby Snax Herbal Spice (non Flavored), another 50 state legal blend.

I pinch an average amount into my incense burner, lite it up, and lean back as I wait for the aroma to fill the air.  A few minutes pass.  I can definitely feel the aroma beginning to relax me, my muscles loosening, my shoulders dipping.  I find that the headache I’d been carrying around has become relatively unnoticeable, though it still persists.  I actually feel like meditating, doing yoga, writing poetry…something quiet, soft, and calm.  I feel good, peaceful and happy, but not overly euphoric.  I’d say that, although this isn’t a super strength incense, it is more potent than its sister blend The Natural.  As more minutes pass, I accept that this blend is a milder one, but still worthwhile for the cost, I picked mine up at http://somenewincense.com pretty cheaply.    As a newer 50 state legal blend, it’ll be safe from the upcoming federal ban, so expect to see more of these newer incense blends around in the coming months.

Stength: 8.5/10

Duration: 8/10 (about 55 minutes)

Aroma: 8/10

Overall: 8.5

White Widow Herbal Spice Review

POTENCY / STRENGTH: Premium/Strong
AROMA / FLAVOR: Natural/None
PRICE: $30.00 2Grams
LEGAL: Yes, not all states
SPICELOG RECOMENDS: Yes!!!

Our Score

9.0

There are a few blends floating around that go by White Widow, here we have today one of the better that does it’s very best to live up to the name. The guys  have done a nice job from product to packaging so let’s fire this bitch up and get baked.

I’m a big fan of the chem-soaking sponge like plant materials, and this White Widow seems to be a nice mix of marshmallow that does just that! A fast clean head buzz lasting an easy 25-30 minutes.

Very Impressed, This specific herb tends to smell like shit, yet somehow these guys keep a natural aroma and good high all while remaining a decent tasting blend.