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BRIDGEPORT -- One of the country's largest synthetic drug distribution centers was operating out of a brick warehouse in the city's Innovation Center.
Millions of dollars of synthetic marijuana, methamphetamine, bath salts and Ecstasy were coming into the city in bulk from other countries and being repackaged with the help of local gangs and then sent out to points in Mississippi and other states for sale, making it one of the biggest operations of its kind nationwide, police sources confirmed Wednesday.
This past weekend State Police gang and drug task forces, along with federal investigators, raided both the warehouse and an apartment on Sunshine Circle connected to the operation, seizing more than 150 pounds of synthetic marijuana and 22 pounds of bath salts and Ecstasy, all together valued at more than $1.5 million.
Three men were arrested: two in Bridgeport, Michael Young, 43, and Lawrence Gathers, 36; and in Mississippi, Rasheed Muhammad. State police said the investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.
Young, of Sunshine Circle, was being held in lieu of $250,000 bond, while Gathers, of Vincellette Street, was released after posting $150,000 bond. Both are charged with numerous drug offenses.
Young was taken to federal court Wednesday where he was formally charged in a warrant out of Mississippi for participating in the drug operation in that state.
State police said two search warrants were executed as a result of the investigation, the first was at the warehouse at the Innovation Center on Connecticut Avenue and the second was at the Sunshine Circle residence.
Seized from the warehouse were about 22 pounds of synthetic narcotics, including methamphetamine and MDMA (Molly/Ecstasy). Also seized were over 3.8 pounds of marijuana and 150 pounds of synthetic marijuana, state police said.
There was a large amount of packaging materials and chemicals used to prepare the synthetic narcotics and marijuana for street sales, police said.
During the search, Gathers was found inside the building with keys for the warehouse, state police said. He was arrested at that time.
During the execution of the search warrant at Sunshine Circle, Young was arrested.
At the time of his arrest, state police said Young had driver's licenses from three different states in three different names with his photo on each. Police seized 96 bags of heroin and $1,300 in cash from Young's car.
State police said they seized synthetic marijuana, synthetic narcotics, and marijuana from the residence. Also seized were $15,822 in cash, a loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen in South Carolina from an Atlanta police officer in November 2013, and a 2012 Acura MDX that was stolen in New York City.
Police said the raids on Connecticut Avenue and Sunshine Circle were the culmination of a year-long investigation by the Statewide Urban Violence Cooperative Crime Control Task Force, and the Statewide Narcotics Task Force along with the U.S. Secret Service, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Service.
dtepfer@ctpost.com; 203-330-6308; http://twitter.com/dantepfer