Two Hardin County women admitted to Kentucky State Police to selling catnip to drug buyers, according to arrest citations.
Alisha Young, 29, of Vine Grove, and Brittani Rakes, 26, of Elizabethtown, face multiple drug offenses.
According to KSP, both women said Tuesday night “it was actually catnip they sell as synthetic marijuana when they need more money and don’t have any actual ‘spice,’” the report stated.
Catnip is a plant that attracts felines and is similar to basil and oregano, according to WebMD. Spice is a form of synthetic cannabinoids, a mind-altering chemical similar to those found in marijuana plants.
A trooper stopped a red Pontiac G8 for failing to use a turn signal and for having no rear left tail light, the citation stated. When Young, the driver, and Rakes were taken out of the vehicle, both reportedly had a bag that appeared to contain marijuana. The citation said they threw the bags on seats “in plain view.”
Both women also reportedly had a large amount of cash with them.
When a trooper searched the vehicle, more “green leafy items” were found in a backpack in the backseat as well as a large amount of small bags used to “commonly package and store and sell drugs,” the citation said.
Crystal methamphetamine also was found. The women said the substances were synthetic marijuana and meth.
Rakes is charged with first offense trafficking in synthetic drugs, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, if convicted; first offense, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance — methamphetamine, a Class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison, if convicted; misdemeanor possession of synthetic drugs; first offense, first-degree possession of a controlled substance — methamphetamine, a Class D felony punishable by one to three years in prison, if convicted; and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
Young faces the same charges in addition to failure to or improper signal and improper equipment.
Both women are being held in lieu of a $75,000 cash bond in the Hardin County Detention Center. They are scheduled to appear Oct. 12 in Hardin District Court.
By Sam Gormley, Local News
Contact Sam at sam@k105.com or 270-259-6000
