Lancaster County Drug Task Force detectives halted a New York-to-Lancaster drug operation, nabbing a man last week at a train station with 199 packets of synthetic marijuana.
Dante Allen Gillespie, 27, was arrested Feb. 16 as he returned from New York, where he apparently purchases several different brands of the drug.
Gillespie is at Lancaster County Prison, without bail due to prior warrants, charged with three felony counts of drug-dealing.
Among the brands of synthetic marijuana seized during the arrest at the train station were: “Dafuq,” “Geeked Up,” and “One Wish.”
Detectives said the packets sell for $20 apiece; in all, the packets would sell for an estimated $4,000.
The different brands, detectives explained, are composed of different chemical compounds.
The Task Force, in conjunction with Lancaster city police’s Selective Enforcement Unit, had been watching Gillespie for some time in regard to suspected drug dealing. Detectives at the McGovern Avenue station, on Feb. 16, watched him buy a round-trip ticket to New York and caught him when he returned.
He was charged with that, and by city police in a separate dealing offense from last year.
The Drug Task Force, which operates under District Attorney Craig Stedman, saw a major spike last year in synthetic marijuanua sales and usage.
The drug, which is manufactured not grown, can cause erratic, dangerous effects and sometimes violent behavior.
Amtrak police also assisted in the investigation.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright