Smoker's Video stores sold millions in synthetic drugs, document shows

Affidavit reveals new details into undercover investigation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Smoker’s Video stores sold millions of dollars in illegal drugs, much of it synthetic marijuana, as part of a money laundering operation, according to the 35-page affidavit obtained by News4Jax Wednesday.

The investigation ran primarily between 2013 and wound up in May when police raided Smoker’s Video stores on Beach Boulevard, Emerson Street and Normandy Boulevard.

The report shows the owners of Smoker’s Video, who are accused of selling drugs like synthetic marijuana, had several bank accounts opened as well as another business called “Jacksonville Management Concepts, Inc.”

The funds are suspected of being laundered and mixed to conceal the nature of what money was from illegal drug sales.
From 2012 to 2016, the report shows the three stores raked in $11,409,529.

Tom Stephens with the Better Business Bureau said that seems like a lot of money for three stores, adding that money laundering operations happen, but they’re extremely uncommon.

“It’s set up by a person who intends from the beginning to defraud people, to steal money, et cetera. So they’re taking money in from what appears to be a legitimate organization and immediately laundering it out to various places so it doesn’t stay there,” Stephens said.

In another part of the affidavit, it says one of the owners, Ronald Brown Jr., tried to withdraw $583,000 from a Suntrust bank account, “only two hours after other members of this drug organization were arrested.”

Brown is accused of manslaughter in the death of Matthew Purdy, 16. Police said Purdy died at Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park, in Green Cove Springs, after overdosing on synthetic marijuana purchased from a Smoker's Video store in Jacksonville.

News4Jax spoke Wednesday with the teen’s mother, Brenda Purdy, and told her that investigators say Smoker’s Video sold millions of dollars’ worth of synthetic drugs.

“I need to take that in for a while,” Purdy said. “Are you serious?”

Police believe that the illegal drugs were funding the three stores because Smoker’s Video also sold and rented video, which is legal, but they surmise, “the viability of the Smoker’s Video Enterprise in the area of DVD rental and DVD sales is nearly non-existent and supports your affiant’s belief that the store essentially is a front for the distribution of synthetic cannabinoids,” according to the affidavit.

“Our office is not too far from that place on Emerson Street. And as a video store, it’s not in an area that’s going to do a lot of business renting video, CDs. It’s just not,” Stephens said.

Affidavit reveals new details into undercover investigation

The court affidavit also details the undercover police investigation into the sale of illegal drugs at three Smoker’s Video stores.

The affidavit reveals how detectives were able to get their hands on evidence before the stores were raided, including monitoring the stores under surveillance.

Investigators were monitoring a man who police say was the stepson of Gregory Burris, the co-owner of Smoker’s Video. On multiple dates, he was “observed carrying a large black trash bag into the business.” They also witnessed him carrying trash bags from a U-Haul dealership, which investigators later concluded contained illegal drugs.

That’s because, at various times, undercover detectives were in the store when the trash bags were unloaded.

On one date, a detective, “observed at least one package of the suspected synthetic cannabinoid product (“SSCP”) brand “Breez” clearly through the bag.

“They did that on several different dates as opposed to one date to show that they were doing this as a business, going on for a long period of time. It wasn’t a one-time thing, maybe involving one employee,” said Gil Smith, News4Jax crime and safety analyst.

Police corroborated a lot of the details for their case from an employee of the store who worked there for four years. He told investigators “that over the course of his employment, the sales of synthetic cannabinoid products (SCP) were the largest part of what this company sells on a daily basis.” Using his calculations, “if 200 packets were sold per day for a seven day period, that would equal 1,400 packets sold per week.”

“It’s going to be critical because he knows what things were done. He was keeping records, possibly, of when the transactions were being done and when the drugs were brought in. So you have the video surveillance, the controlled buys and the information from the employee. So what they’re doing is building a rock solid case,” Smith said.

The owners of the Smoker’s Video stores that were raided, Greg and Lauri Burris, were among 13 people arrested in the investigation into the distribution of synthetic drugs, like Spice or K2. The couple is also charged with racketeering.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said the investigation, dubbed Operation Chain Smokers, began in the spring of 2013 when Alcohol, Beverage and Tobacco agents and St. Johns County deputies worked a case on a synthetic drug manufacturer with known ties to Smoker's Video.

In fall 2013, JSO detectives began making undercover buys of synthetic drugs from Smoker's Video retail outlets in Jacksonville, Williams said. He said that investigation stemmed from dozens of complaints from Jacksonville citizens.
 

Synthetic Cannabinoid - Calls to Poison Centers | HealthGrove


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.