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More Than 30,000 K2 Packets Recovered in Brooklyn Bust: NYPD

By Camille Bautista | September 19, 2016 1:48pm
 Police recovered more than 30,000 packets of synthetic marijuana at a storage unit in Bedford-Stuyevsant on Sept. 15, officials said.
Police recovered more than 30,000 packets of synthetic marijuana at a storage unit in Bedford-Stuyevsant on Sept. 15, officials said.
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BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — More than 30,000 packets of the drug K2 were found in a Brooklyn storage unit, police said.

Josean Torres, 35, and Jesus Martinez, 30, were arrested at the facility on Broadway, near Van Buren Street, around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the NYPD.

In a single unit, officers found 30,132 bags containing K2, also known as synthetic marijuana, officials said.

Torres holds the lease to the storage locker, prosecutors said, and is an employee of a nearby smoke shop and deli targeted by the city after a mass K2 overdose near the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway, according to sources.

He had previously been arrested for selling K2 out of the smoke shop at 926 Broadway, sources added.

The business and Big Boy Deli were hit with nuisance-abatement actions by the NYPD over the summer, and the smoke shop was temporarily shut down.

Mustafa Alsaidi, manager at Big Boy, previously told DNAinfo New York the deli is not affiliated with the smoke shop next door, though he admitted Big Boy sold K2 in the past and stopped after the city banned it.

Police continued to monitor both locations after the city served the businesses with civil cases in July, according to 81st Precinct Inspector Scott Henderson.

“This shows that despite our efforts and the public's concern over the impact of quality of life in the Broadway/Myrtle area, that there are still individuals who are looking to line their pockets and endanger the public by selling this dangerous substance,” Henderson said.

“We still need to keep up the pressure against Big Boy Deli and Dream Burner Smoke Shop because it is evident that they are still involved in this illegal activity.”

READ MORE: National Database of K2 and Other Synthetic Drugs Proposed in Federal Bill

On Thursday, Martinez, 30, was found with 200 tin foil packets of synthetic marijuana while at the storage unit, prosecutors said. News of the bust was first reported by the Daily News.

Both Martinez and Torres were charged with unlawful manufacture, distribution or sale of a synthetic cannabinoid and possession, manufacture, distribution, sale or offer of sale of synthetic cannabinoids, court documents show.

Torres was released on $2,500 cash bail, according to court records, and Martinez was released under supervision.

Attorneys for both men did not immediately respond to request for comment.