FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :     Friday, January 20, 2012
CONTACT:   Sara Rabern,  (605) 773-3215

Synthetic Marijuana Seizure and Arrests in Rapid City and Deadwood

PIERRE, S.D.  – Attorney General Marty Jackley, Lawrence County States Attorney John Fitzgerald and Pennington County States Attorney Glenn Brenner announced that the execution of search warrants on two businesses in Rapid City and one in Deadwood yesterday have resulted in arrests and the seizure of large amounts of synthetic marijuana and bath salts. Warrants were served on Classified Hookah, Ifrits Hookah Lounge and Pam’s Purple Door. Arrests have been made for the possession, sale or distribution of certain substances for the purpose of intoxication as a class 1 misdemeanor. These matters are the subject of a continuing investigation and additional information will be released at a future date. All are presumed innocent until such time as proven guilty.
The investigation and execution of search warrants were a joint effort of the Deadwood Police Department, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, Spearfish Police Department, Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Division of Criminal Investigation.
South Dakota law specifically provides:
22-42-15.1.  Possession, sale, or distribution of certain substances for the purpose of intoxication as misdemeanor. Any person who possesses, possesses with intent to distribute, sells, or distributes a substance knowing that it is to be used in violation of § 22-42-15 is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
22-42-15.   Ingesting substance, except alcoholic beverages, for the purpose of becoming intoxicated as misdemeanor--Venue for violation. Any person who intentionally ingests, inhales, or otherwise takes into the body any substance, except alcoholic beverages as defined in § 35-1-1, for purposes of becoming intoxicated, unless such substance is prescribed by a practitioner of the medical arts lawfully practicing within the scope of the practitioner's practice, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The venue for a violation of this section exists in either the jurisdiction in which the substance was ingested, inhaled, or otherwise taken into the body or the jurisdiction in which the substance was detected in the body of the accused.

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