"Handful" of businesses still sell illegal and dangerous drug

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Lafayette drug enforcement investigators believe perhaps a handful of other businesses in Tippecanoe County are selling synthetic marijuana, better known as K2 or spice.  But because it's now illegal, it's moved to the back rooms and behind closed doors.

Discount Tobacco on Teal Road was back open Thursday, 24 hours after a police raid.  Many customers seemed unaware that two employees were arrested Wednesday for selling an illegal drug known as K2 or spice.

Lafayette police said they catch people with it almost every day, meaning they have to be getting it somewhere, at a place like Discount Tobacco.

"Businesses were selling them and now they can't," Officer Dan Long with Lafayette Police said.  "But it was so lucrative for them, it's really tempting for them to continue and try to conceal that."

Investigators said they found the spice Wednesday in the filing cabinet in a manager's office.

Long said that's not unusual.  What's also not unusual is employees will only sell to regular customers, making it more difficult for law enforcement.

"It's something that we need the public's help with to abolish," said Long.

The employee working at Discount Tobacco Thursday refused to comment. No one came to the door at the West Lafayette home of Tammy Brandt, the woman police said is the store's regional manager.

Craig Brattain said he tried spice once about 18 months ago when it was still legal.

"I started sweating real bad, getting dizzy," said Brattain.  "I laid down and it was a bad experience."

Brattain said his friends told him it was like marijuana but legal.  He'll never do it again.

"No, no, it was just a really bad experience," Brattain said.

Spice has meant bad experiences for more people that just those abusing the drug.

"Officers in the county have reported people impaired on spice being some of the most impaired people they've interacted with and the most unpredictable people they've interacted with," Long said.  "Therefore, the most dangerous people they've interacted with."

Which is why officers are working so hard to make sure K2 isn't just off the shelves, but out of  the back rooms and filing cabinets of places like Discount Tobacco.

"They took it off the market for a reason," Brattain said.  "They should keep it off the market. It hurts people."

Long said because of the secretive nature of the spice business these days, it's vital to get tips from people on where the product is sold.  Whether it's parents, school counselors or friends, if you know where you can buy spice, contact your local law enforcement agency.