Nine individuals and four businesses have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute synthetic marijuana, commonly referred to as K2, in Central Missouri.
Among the nine was Thomas Lee McCormack, 28, of Jefferson City.
The other eight were: Matthew Ashby Hawkins, 38, Patrick Ross Hawkins, 31, and Molly Jane Carmichael, 36, all siblings from Columbia; Alexander Vladimir McMillin, 29, of Columbia; Kent Allen Holtz, 42, of Kaiser; Chadwick James Schlicht, 43, of Osage Beach; Charles Sterling Austin Jr., 61, of St. Charles; and Scott Wesley Hanson, 47, of Versailles.
One of the businesses in the indictments was Mozark Products, LLC, of Jefferson City.
The other three businesses were: Dynamic Scents, LLC, and Order Refill, LLC, both Columbia business owned by Matthew and Patrick Hawkins, Carmichael and McMillin and Puff N Stuff, a retail business in Eldon.
The indictments were not announced until Friday because of the previous partial federal government shutdown.
The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue, also known as synthetic marijuana or K2, between Dec. 7, 2011, and Oct. 2, 2013.
K2 is a mixture of plant material that has been sprayed or mixed with a synthetic chemical compound similar to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. K2 products are often labeled as "incense," but in reality are intended for human consumption as a drug.
The indictment also charges those named with participating in a money-laundering conspiracy from Dec. 7, 2011, to Oct. 2, 2013 saying they conspired to engage in financial transactions that involved the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
The indictment also charges McMillin with one count of distributing a controlled substance analogue and one count of possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute.
Hanson and McCormack are also each charged with one count of possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute.
The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged conspiracies, or used to facilitate the alleged conspiracies. This includes $423,327 seized from Puff N Stuff's bank account, $177,398 seized from Order Refill's bank account, $14,215 seized from Mozark Products' bank account, $82,149 seized from McMillin, $55,175 seized from Hanson and a 2004 Hummer H2 seized from Hanson.