After an incident on Dec. 6 gave Pennsylvania police reason to believe that illegal substances were being sold at a local shop, law enforcement raided two Bad Boy Toys stores on Wednesday and arrested four individuals, including a store manager. The individuals have been charged with several drug crimes after police claimed that they were selling bath salts and synthetic marijuana at stores located in Palmyra and Lemoyne.

The search and seizure of the Bad Boy Toys shops occurred simultaneously on Wednesday. The shops will remain closed and officials reported that the shop and all of its contents will be forfeited.

So far, police reported that they have confiscated several containers of substances that appear to be bath salts and synthetic marijuana. The substances will be tested in order to determine if any chemicals used to make the drugs are included on the state's banned substances list.

In August, Pennsylvania did ban several substances that are often used to manufacture synthetic drugs, but because manufacturers can substitute substances that are not yet illegal for banned substances, it can be difficult for prosecutors to move forward with criminal charges in such cases. The substances used in bath salts and synthetic marijuana must be tested in order to confirm whether or not they are illegal.

The raids were conducted this week after a shoplifting incident on Dec. 6 alerted law enforcement to the possibility of illegal drug activity taking place at the stores. Police reported that a woman attempted to steal illegal substances from the store. A store clerk grabbed the woman, but the clerk was assaulted by man who appeared to be with the woman. The clerk shot the man, injuring him in the chest and shoulder.

Law enforcement said that they have been cracking down on bath salts and synthetic marijuana sales across the entire state of Pennsylvania since the ban went into effect due to the dangerous side effects people can experience from using such substances.

After Wednesday's raids at the Bad Boy Toys stores, law enforcement reported that they believe that the four individuals were involved in a multi-million dollar business selling the synthetic drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Source: The Patriot-News, "Raids on Bad Boy Toys stores yield bath salts, synthetic marijuana, police say," Monica Von Dobeneck, Dec. 29, 2011