Jan. 24--After an undercover drug buy and an hourlong search inside the Prince Hookah Lounge on Monday, officers with the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force charged two people inside the business with trafficking synthetic cannabinoids.
On Jan. 13, Warren County Fiscal Court banned the sale of synthetic cannabinoids.
"We would much rather have voluntary compliance with this ordinance than spend resources on enforcement," task force Director Tommy Loving said.
Monday's citations, which were issued to Amar Shoraba, 32, of Lexington, and Ayad Albuali, 35, of Bowling Green, are the first since the county ordinance was passed, Loving said. Shoraba told task force investigators that he is the manager of the business. Albuali is an employee.
Both Shoraba and Albuali were ordered to appear in Warren County District Court at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15.
If convicted of this Class A misdemeanor, they could serve up to a year in Warren County Regional Jail and be fined up to $500.
An undercover drug task force officer bought a package of a substance labeled Diablo last week from the business at 101 Old Morgantown Road. The officer took the substance for testing at the Kentucky State Police crime lab in Louisville. The substance tested positive for 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(naphthalen-1-oyl)indole, also called AM-2201, which is a synthetic cannabinoid banned in Warren County, Loving said. Early Monday, an undercover officer returned to the business and bought the same substance again.
Drug task force investigators obtained a search warrant signed by Warren District Court Judge John Brown and about 2:20 p.m. entered Prince Hookah Lounge, identified the five or six customers who were inside, asked them to leave and searched the business. Investigators ultimately seized 83 packages of Diablo, which sells for $25 a package, according Bowling Green Police Department Detective Jason Scott, who is assigned to the task force.
As the search was conducted, many would-be customers tried to enter the business while police were inside. They were turned away until the conclusion of the search.
Shoraba was cooperative and voluntarily handed over 209 packages of various substances labeled under the names Sexy Monkey, Ed Hardy, Mr. Marley, Good Times, Hydro, Serenity Forever, 777 Xtreme and K4, according to Loving and Scott. Those substances will be sent for testing today. If they do not test positive as synthetic cannabinoids or any other illegal substance, they will be returned to the store, Loving said.
Diablo, which contains the same chemical found in 7H, has resulted in users seeking medical treatment for a variety of symptoms. At times, local emergency rooms have seen as many as 12 people a week seeking medical treatment after ingesting the substance, Loving said.
Task force investigators will continue conducting spot checks of local businesses known to sell the substances, which are often marketed in packaging labeling them as herbal potpourri.
Copyright 2012 - Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky.
