Friendswood police say the month-long undercover operation also resulted in the seizure of tens of thousands of dollars of suspected contraband and $28,100 in cash. They say they received information that illegal products were being sold from three smoke shops in Houston, one in Webster and one in unincorporated Harris County.
Those arrested in Thursday's raid were charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, which is the same penalty for cocaine possession. The arrestees were booked into the Friendswood City Jail on Thursday afternoon and were released on bond by Friday morning.
Bath salts, a synthetic drug banned by Texas law, have been blamed for erratic behavior and deaths nationwide. Friendswood police say they have experienced several incidents involving bath salts in the last three months where individuals had to be restrained and transported to medical facilities.
