Drugs and cash seized from Oneida location of Stash House.
/ photo by Jessica Cain
ONEIDA -- Police have seized thousands of packages of synthetic drugs from a shop in Oneida.
Officers busted three Stash House shops in Oneida, Lakeport, and Brewerton. At the Oneida shop alone, police found $56,000 worth of cash and goods. That includes $16,000 in cash and money orders, and more than 2,500 packages of synthetic marijuana and bath salts. Police arrested two people, Raymond Newkirk, 43 and Ashley Delaney, 18. They have been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. The Oneida location of Stash House is right across the street from the police station.
A search of the Lakeport location netted $4,800 worth of synthetic marijuanae, 166 packets of bath salts, and $230 in cash. At the Brewerton location, police found 1,400 packages of drugs with a street value of about $41,000, along with $1,000 in cash.
Sales of both synthetic marijuana and bath salts have been banned. The seized drugs are being tested at a lab now. Police say there could be more charges and more arrests.
Oneida Police Chief David Meeker says this is the start of a bigger initiative. He says police are working to crack down on the sale of synthetic drugs.
Oneida isn't the only place cracking down. Police in Rome and Ithaca have also recently busted shops selling synthetic drugs.
