Hialeah Police arrested five men they said were behind the selling of synthetic marijuana at businesses in the area.
25-year-old Giovani Cepero and 40-year-old Bilal Ismail were taken into custody at the Alibaba Tobacco shop off West 29th Street, while Eugenio Hernandez was arrested at the Sinbad Tobacco shop off West 43rd Place.
At the Citgo gas station off West 19th Street, police arrested Raul Acosta and Younus Farhatullah. All five were arrested after undercover police purchased the fake drug. Bilal was charged with one felony count of selling the synthetic narcotic, while all five were charged with misdemeanors for violating a county ordinance.
The use of synthetic marijuana has led to a rise in hospital visits, according to law enforcement. Manufactures of the drugs continuously change the chemical composition of the drug in an effort to get around federal restrictions on certain substances.
