KAYSVILLE -- Almost 800 jars containing smokable herbal blends covered an 8-foot-long table in the training room at Kaysville Police Department.
The jars -- approximately the size of a cosmetic container -- were confiscated Sunday morning from Victors Smoke Shop, 215 W. 200 North, No. B, said Police Capt. Brent Ward.
The owner of the smoke shop, Adel Al Mukahel, 42, of West Valley City, was booked in Davis County Jail on suspicion of unlawful possession of intoxicating chemicals, a class B misdemeanor.
Mukahel is accused of selling spice, a smokable herbal blend that provides a marijuana-like high. The products are coated with research chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Ward said that, under the city ordinance, police can only charge Mukahel with possession, not with distribution.
Kaysville has banned the use or sale of spice within its city limits. In October, the Davis County Board of Health passed a regulation banning the sale of the products, which are labeled as incense to mask their intended purpose.
"We don't have the option of charging (Mukahel) with distribution," Ward said.
Currently, the state does not have a law that bans the use or sale of spice, but House Bill 23 could make it illegal statewide to use or sell it. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville.
If the bill is passed, anyone possessing the same amount of the herbal products as police found Sunday could be charged with distribution of an illegal substance, which is a felony.
Ward said police received a number of anonymous complaints about the store selling spice. Patrol Officer Jeremy Owens followed up on the complaints, and at 1 a.m. Sunday, officers served a warrant to search the store.
What they found were bottles -- 788 to be exact -- of the product under various brand names, including Funky Monkey.
This is the first major spice bust in Davis County, Ward said. Most cities have passed ordinances similar to Kaysville's.
The spice sells for $15 to $30 a bottle, depending on the amount and the brand.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration banned the products nationwide in November.
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