U.S. drug agents raid synthetic drug dealers

By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than 150 synthetic drug makers and sellers have been arrested in a U.S. crackdown on designer drugs whose profits largely flow to the Middle East, the Drug Enforcement Administration said on Wednesday. Federal agents have issued nearly 200 search warrants and seized more than $20 million in cash and assets in an operation that has spanned over 29 states since its launch January, the DEA said in a statement. The targeted drugs include synthetic marijuana, which is usually a plant material treated with a psychoactive compound, and a stimulant commonly known as bath salts. Federal law enforcement agents found that much of the illicit drug profits go to countries in the Middle East, including Yemen, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, the DEA said.