TAMPA, Fla. – Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested more than a dozen convenience store owners and clerks in a month-long undercover drug operation.

What we know:

HCSO said deputies carried out simultaneous raids on Thursday at seven convenience stores, most of them in the University area of Tampa. The convenience stores busted include the following: 

Sunset Market and Deli, located at 18440 Livingston Avenue in Lutz.Discount Food Mart, located at 1709 East Bearss Avenue in Tampa.Aladdin Market, located at 2202 East Bearss Avenue in Tampa.Quick Mart Citgo, located at 701 East Bearss Avenue in Tampa.Marathon, located at 309 East Fletcher Avenue in Tampa.Food Town Supermarket, located at 1904 East 131st Avenue in Tampa.Silver Dollar Foods, located at 4330 North 40th Street Avenue in Tampa.

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According to investigators, store employees were selling a range of illegal drugs from behind the counter, including:

Synthetic marijuana (K2/Spice)THC gummies and THC productsCocaineMushroomsSativa resin

More than $40,000 in cash was also seized during the operation.

Why you should care:

Medical experts said synthetic marijuana, often marketed as “herbal incense,” can be up to 100 times more potent than traditional marijuana and is especially accessible to younger or lower-income users.

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“It’s a chemical… It hits the same receptors in the brain as marijuana but is so much more powerful,” Dr. Steven Goldberg, the chief medical officer at HealthTrackRx, said about spice.

Goldberg said the compounds seized can trigger severe health issues, including:

PsychosisMajor changes in mental statusChest pain and shortness of breathDangerous levels of intoxicationHospitalization

“It can trigger euphoria, giddiness — but also psychosis and mental status changes,” Goldberg said. 

He warned that today’s THC-based products are significantly stronger than what existed decades ago, increasing the risks of dependency and medical emergencies.

“Know what you’re putting into your body… talk to your kids… and realize the marijuana of today is much more powerful than in the past,” Goldberg said. 

The Source: This story is based on information provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and interviews with Dr. Steven Goldberg of HealthTrackRx during FOX 13 News’ coverage.

TampaCrime and Public Safety