Washington, D.C. – Today, Franklin County authorities celebrated the successful apprehension of two major synthetic drug distributors in central Ohio and the removal of over 7,000 synthetics off the streets. The bust was made possible due in part to U.S. Senator Rob Portman’s (R-Ohio) measure to fight synthetic drug abuse, which was included in the final version of the FDA bill that was signed into law last month. 

“I’d like to congratulate Franklin County Sheriff Scott, Worthington Police Chief Mosic, as well as all local and federal law enforcement involved in yesterday’s successful raid, which kept 7,000 different synthetics out of the hands of our kids,” said Portman. “These widely available and easy to purchase synthetic drugs have taken a dangerous toll on Ohio families and communities, and I’m glad our legislation better enables federal and state authorities to combat this growing epidemic.”

The Franklin County Drug Task Force executed Operation “Log Jam” last night, which involved raids on four stores and a distributor in central Ohio. In total, law enforcement recovered 3,625 packages of cannabinoids, a type of synthetic marijuana, and over 4,100 doses of cathinones, which are synthetic stimulants that are found in “bath salts.”

Synthetic drugs are an ongoing problem in Ohio. In May, two Ohio men high on bath salts were shot by Columbus police as they tried to restrain their aggressive, violent behavior.

“Anytime our legislators are able to assist us with combating drug abuse, it’s helpful,” said Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott. “These substances are a big problem in central Ohio, and it’s great that we did this jointly and that our legislators took this drug threat seriously.”

The amendment in the FDA bill was based on S.3190, the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012. In May 2012, Portman introduced this legislation to change the Controlled Substances Act to include synthetic drugs, which are chemically produced in laboratories and cause unpredictable side effects in humans, and have dramatically increased in usage over the last three years. Adding these drugs to the Controlled Substances Act is the first step in making these drugs illegal and cracking down on those involved in synthetic drug production and distribution.