Excise cites store for synthetic marijuana, owner also charged
Indiana State Excise Police officers cited a Greencastle convenience store Thursday afternoon for allowing a public nuisance after an investigation into the sale of synthetic marijuana.
Excise police cited Hoosier Pete, the Marathon gas station/convenience store in the former BP building at 1107 Indianapolis Rd., after a five-month investigation into the sale of synthetic marijuana.
In February, authorities received a complaint alleging that synthetic marijuana -- also know as K2 or Spice -- was being sold at the location on Greencastle's East Side.
After learning that a warrant was issued for his arrest, store owner Bhupinder Singh Sodhi, 31, of Plainfield, turned himself in at the Putnam County Jail.
Sodhi was preliminary charged with dealing in a synthetic cannabinoid (a felony), maintaining a common nuisance (a felony) and possession of a synthetic cannabinoid (a misdemeanor).
Excise Police also cited Hoosier Pete, which holds an alcoholic beverage permit, for allegedly allowing a public nuisance on the premises.
On Feb. 23, excise police seized samples of what they believed to be synthetic marijuana -- products made illegal by a change in Indiana law on July 1, 2011. Lab tests on a sample of these products confirmed they contained a controlled substance.
The Putnam County Prosecutor's Office and Greencastle Police Department assisted Excise Police with their investigation.
Indiana State Excise officers are the enforcement division of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. While excise officers have the authority to enforce any state law, they focus primarily on enforcing Indiana's alcohol and tobacco statutes.