Raids on at least three businesses in St Joseph and Andrew County were part of a much larger federal investigation into the growing synthetic drug trade across the country.

Scott Collier, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, confirmed that link in an interview Thursday.

“All of the operations conducted Wednesday were part of Operation Log Jam,” Collier said.  A map of operations conducted nationwide Wednesday does not include a marker in St Joseph, but does include one in Kansas City and several across Missouri.

Collier would not speak in specifics about the raids in St Joseph.

Collier is based in St Louis, working for a district that includes Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota and part of Illinois. He said in that area agents served 32 search warrants, and searched four other businesses with the permission of the occupants. He says those agents confiscated 115 thousand prepared doses of the synthetic marijuana called “K2” and 95 thousand doses of “bath salts,” another synthetic drug. Collier says, at retail, those seizures would be worth more than eight million dollars.

Agents also seized the raw materials for making the drugs, and $1.4 million in cash.

Nationwide, 90 people were arrested, $36 million in cash was seized and more than 19 million packets of designer synthetic drugs were confiscated.

There have still been no arrests in our area from raids conducted Wednesday at The Pursuit of Happiness on the Belt Highway, The Smokerz Outlet on Frederick, and an undisclosed location in Andrew County.

Collier says we shouldn’t read too much into the fact that no one has been charged.

“The lack of arrests is indicative of nothing,” Collier said. “We’ve been gathering information and collecting evidence, and we will pursue indictments when appropriate.”

 

The DEA on Thursday announced “Operation Log Jam,” a massive nationwide sweep in which 90 people were arrested, and more than 19 million packets of designer synthetic drugs were seized.

Officials now confirm Wednesday’s raids in St Joe and Andrew County were part of that larger operation.

A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office for Western Missouri says there have still been no arrests and no charges in yesterday’s operations, and said the federal agents involved joined a nearly year-long probe by the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday announced what it called the first nationwide law enforcement action against the synthetic designer drug industry. Agents seized more than $36 million in cash yesterday. Agents seized so-called bath salts, as well as the synthetic drugs K2 and Spice. They also confiscated large amounts of the constituent products used to make the drugs.

Operation Log Jam was conducted jointly by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, as well as countless state and local law enforcement members in more than 109 U.S. cities and targeted every level of the synthetic designer drug industry, including retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers.

Find out more at the DEA’s web site, here.

Bus service in Saint Joseph is about to change. Saint Joseph Transit will stop taking half-hour service breaks at 9:15 and 5:15 weekdays and 11:15 and 3:15 on Saturdays.

To provide full service, including route deviations, the system will drop some schedules on routes that carry the fewest passengers. The changes will take effect next Monday, July 30th. Check the new schedule here.

The investigation continues into a lab worker accused of stealing drugs and needles, and allegedly infecting dozens of patients with hepatitis C.  The investigation extends to a medical center in Hays, Kansas.

Health officials in New Hampshire plan a public forum to explain new testing recommendations for people who may have been infected. An outbreak has affected 30 patients of a New Hampshire hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and HaysMed in Hays, Kan., are working jointly to notify patients who underwent cardiac catheterization from May 24, 2010, to Sept. 22, 2010.

 

The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire announced that David Kwiatkowski was arrested and charged with obtaining controlled substances by fraud and tampering with a consumer product. According to an affidavit filed in federal court in New Hampshire, Kwiatkowski allegedly engaged in drug diversion and infected patients with hepatitis C while employed at Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire.

Due to the fact that Kwiatkowski worked as a contract radiology technician in the HaysMed cardiac catheterization laboratory from May 24, 2010, to Sept. 22, 2010, HaysMed and KDHE are working together to notify all patients who were treated there and recommend they receive testing for hepatitis C. Only those patients who underwent cardiac catheterization procedures between May 24, 2010, and Sept. 22, 2010, at HaysMed were potentially put at risk.

“We understand patients and their loved ones may be very concerned about this situation. HaysMed and KDHE are working collaboratively on this investigation,” said KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer Robert Moser, MD. “I would like to reassure the public that we have no reason to be concerned about additional risks to the public. The events in question occurred approximately two years ago.”

Approximately 460 patients had procedures at the HaysMed cardiac catheterization laboratory during this time period. Those patients who were potentially exposed at HaysMed are being contacted by mail with information on how to receive free testing for hepatitis C through KDHE and who to contact to answer questions and address concerns.

A special telephone hotline has been established at HaysMed for patients who are concerned about potential exposure to hepatitis C. Concerned patients can speak with a nurse by calling 877-261-7140.

We got a little rain overnight, but not enough to put a dent in the drought. Official measurements for Saint Joseph showed a total of .19 of an inch, with most of that falling between 1 and 2 this morning. It was the first measurable rainfall in 17 days.

So far in the month of July Saint Joseph has received .21 of an inch of rain. Normally, July would have brought us just over 4 inches of rain by now.

A man already serving 25-years for robbing nine people at a St Joe birthday party faces an additional 30-years in prison after his guilty plea to murder charges Wednesday.

Jered Houston will be sentenced September 6th for his guilty plea to second degree murder and armed criminal action.

The charges stem from the death of Charley Lonjers at his St Joe home in August of 2010.

 

 

Police found Lonjers’ body behind his home at 924 Sylvanie. Prosecutors charged Houston with the murder after finding trace evidence on the weapon used to kill Lonjers.

Prosecutors are expected to request a 30-year prison term, to be served consecutive to the robbery sentence.

Houston is already in jail, serving 25 years for a 2010 robbery of nine people at a birthday party at the Broadmoor Apartments in St. Joseph.