Geraldine, DeKalb County, Alabama, 29 June 2012

DeKalb County authorities charged a Boaz man and Geraldine convenience store owner with selling synthetic marijuana Monday evening.

Sheriff Jimmy Harris said DeKalb investigators, working with drug task force agents and Geraldine police, charged Rajeshkumar D. Patel, 46, with three counts of distribution of a controlled substance.

“It seems like we haven’t been doing anything for the past six months to a year, but we have been working on this with the sheriff’s department and drug task force,” said Geraldine police Chief Nelson Gregory. “We finally got someone to go in and do undercover work for us, which ultimately resulted in the suspect’s arrest.”

Harris said investigators have had Patel under suspicion of selling spice for about three months, but a law that went into effect last month allowed charges to be filed Monday.

Gregory contacted the drug task force with information rougly a year ago before the state’s new law making spice illegal was even written. The law makes spice of any form illegal to possess, distribute or manufacture.

Harris said authorities executed a warrant and arrested Patel at his store, the Shell Minit Mart at the intersection of Highway 227 and Highway 75 in Geraldine, after undercover agents bought the synthetic marijuana more commonly known as spice on several occasions.

Harris said DeKalb deputies and drug agents received information about a month ago Patel was selling spice to minors in Geraldine. He said only Patel was operating the store at the time the search warrant was executed.

Patel was taken to DeKalb County Jail where he remained Tuesday awaiting bond to be set. The store was padlocked Monday night, and Gregory said it would not re-open unless a judge rules otherwise.

Harris said after more than 30 children and adults were hospitalized after using spice in DeKalb County, as well as the new law regarding spice, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, drug task force and district attorney’s office can now prosecute anyone who sells, distributes or manufactures spice.

“All the community support and calls we receive are a huge help to us in making these kinds of arrests,” Harris said. “Without the help of the Geraldine Police Department Chief Nelson Gregory, members of my own office and the drug task force, this particular arrest would not have been possible at all. We would like for people to continue to call us or their local police department for any illegal activity.”

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