The San Antonian who the Feds say was the King of Synthetic Marijuana will be reigning over a 5 X 9 cell in a federal prison for the next 16 years, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Muhammed Jaffer, 54, was sentenced for being to fake pot what El Chapo was to cocaine, distributing some 40,000 pounds of the stuff not only across Texas, but as far away as Kansas City.
"The drugs the defendant was peddling are much more dangerous than the name 'synthetic marijuana' suggests," U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin said. "These drugs are highly addictive and can cause death, seizures, organ failure, coma, and hallucinations."
Durbin says Jaffer packaged fake pot under catchy names like 'Kush' and 'Scooby Snaz,' specifically to make them more attractive to children and teenagers.
Synthetic marijuana is actually chemicals which are mixed to mimic the appearence, and occasionally the 'high' of real pot. Fake pot often sells for a lot less than real marijuana on the streets, which makes it even more attractive to kids.
But experts say due to the chemical nature of the substance, it is far more likely than actual marijuana to lead to 'lasting damage to the brain.'
San Antonio Police attribute much of the rise in panhandling on City streetcorners to the fake pot epidemic.
"The defendant's conduct was serious and has been punished accordingly," Durbin said.
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