Investigators arrested two men last week after uncovering tens of thousands of bags of synthetic marijuana inside a unit at a CubeSmart self-storage facility in Brooklyn, N.Y. Josean Torres, 35, and Jesus Martinez, 30, were stopped by police on Sept. 15 around 3 p.m. as they were leaving the property at 1220 Broadway. The men were carrying 200 bags of synthetic marijuana, and another 32,000 bags were found inside a unit rented by the suspects, according to the source.
The investigation was launched after police received a tip that someone was storing the drug, also known as K2 or spice, at the facility. Martinez and Torres face charges of illegally manufacturing the drug, the source reported.
Police have also linked Torres to a rash of overdoses in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood last July, which landed dozens of people in the hospital, the source reported. Witnesses described users who took the “bad batch” of drug as “walking zombies,” investigators said. Police believe the drugs were coming from the Big Boy Deli, where Torres worked, and the Dream Burner Tobacco Shop next door.
Torres was also previously arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes and K2 following a buy-and-bust operation at the deli. He pleaded guilty in June to disorderly conduct and the case has been sealed, the source reported.
The overdoses brought new condemnations from N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio about the availability and danger of K2, the source reported.
CubeSmart is a self-storage real estate investment trust and third-party management company. It owns or manages 741 self-storage facilities across the United States. Its operating portfolio comprises 49.1 million square feet.
