Convenience Store Busted For Selling 'Zombie Drug' Synthetic Marijuana

A convenience store in Washington state was closed down Monday after police determined it was selling the high-powered and highly illegal substance known colloquially as the “zombie drug,” the Tacoma News Tribune reported. Undercover cops found that the Stop’Mart store in Tacoma, Washington, was selling spice, also known as K2 and synthetic marijuana.

Spice is a drug that superficially resembles weed, even down to users preferring to roll it up into paper and smoke it as a primary form of consumption. However, the drug is made by spraying chemicals onto plants, and can be sold under-the-radar by labeling it as a product like incense, according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse.

Police arrested the 47-year-old Stop’Mart manager after undercover officers were able to buy $20 packets labeled “Ripped” from the store. The material within the packets was tested and found to be synthetic marijuana. On Monday, a police raid found thousands of dollars in cash as well as 590 grams of spice at the store.

The manager was hit with two charges of unlawful delivery and one charge of possession of a uncontrolled substance. The store could potentially lose its liquor license over the ordeal.

Washington made spice illegal in 2011, as the drug has been linked to more than 20 deaths since then. NIDA’s website said the drug can cause suicidal thoughts, violent outbursts, anxiety and paranoia.