Ring dealing spice and K2 busted by feds

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Federal prosecutors in Manhattan Wednesday announced the biggest case to date on the latest drug scourge to hit the metropolitan area, charging 10 men with running a ring that sold more than a quarter million retail packets of so-called synthetic marijuana, a popular drug marketed in bodegas.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the case the start of "an aggressive assault on a dangerous new public health crisis reaching epidemic proportions." He said despite the name and the fact that they are not covered by state criminal laws, the drugs are "poison in a packet."

"This is not marijuana," Bharara said at a morning news conference attended by NYPD Commissioner William Bratton. "They are packaged like children's candy, but they are lethal."

"The risk is incredible," Bratton said.

Synthetic cannabinoids -- known on the street as "spice" or "K2" -- are chemical compounds sprayed with fruity flavorings onto leafy substances...

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