Synthetic drugs growing concern among police in NRV - FOX 21/27 WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, Weather

Synthetic drugs growing concern among police in NRV

PULASKI COUNTY, VA --

A total of three break-ins at tobacco shops in Fairlawn have been reported since the beginning of the year. In at least one case, deputies say, where synthetic marijuana was the target, they arrested people.

But Sheriff Jim Davis believes this could be a trend of people stealing the drugs to sell them to others. They just don't know yet.

"A lot of it goes under reported, or even unreported. We will brief our task force, and our road patrol officers and our investigative personnel to aggressively pursue any rumors that we hear," said Davis.

A ban on the drug goes into effect July 1st, along with bath salts, but while Davis is hopeful they will have seen the last of the trending drugs, he knows making them illegal, can make them more attractive.

"At times unfortunately, we do find that when the barriers are placed before us, we have a much bigger job in controlling the use and sale then of anything that's just marked illegal," said Davis.

Just across the New River from the tobacco shops here at the Radford Police Department, Chief Don Goodman tells said during a staff meeting Wednesday, he plans to discuss the topic of the trending drugs with his officers.

Pulaski county officers are trying to stay ahead of the curve as well.

"As with each trending drug as it comes on, like the bath salts and so forth, we'll actually train our supervisors, and go over it with our narcotics people and pursue it aggressively," said Davis.

So the soon to be illegal drugs stay both off the shelves, and off the streets.