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ILLINOIS - A Calumet City man was arrested by federal agents for distributing drug-soaked paper and other substances to Illinois inmates.
What we know:
According to a criminal complaint, Denis Joiner, also known as Levon Moore, of Calumet City, Ill., was arrested after authorities tracked a series of packages that he sent to inmates in prison. The investigation revealed that Joiner was distributing synthetic cannabinoids and other controlled substances.
Officers searched Joiner's residence, after obtaining a warrant, on July 29. They seized a fake ID with the name Levon Moore, tan powder, multiple sheets of paper stained with liquid, and shipping supplies.
The backstory:
Cook County Sheriff's Office officials learned that inmates had their acquaintances mail them pieces of paper, often disguised mail, reading materials or legal materials, soaked in liquid controlled substances, including synthetic cannabinoids, a controlled substance similar to marijuana but manufactured instead of natural. The synthetic cannabinoids are significantly more potent than marijuana and could cause seizures, stroke, heart attacks and death.
A full page can be sold for several thousand dollars. Inmates would cut the pieces of paper into smaller squares and distribute them among other inmates.
On May 12, police saw Joiner near the Lansing Post Office in Lansing, Ill. where he dropped off an envelope and left. The next day, the post office found the package, addressed to an individual in Jefferson, North Carolina with a Calumet City return address. Inside the package, officials found a cloth saturated in liquid and wrapped in clear plastic vacuum-sealed bags. The contents were tested and came back as synthetic controlled substances.
Officials also confiscated another package on June 3 addressed to Portage, Ind. with more than 1,000 grams of tan powder. This return address used the name Levon Moore.
On May 29, Lawrence Correctional Center in Illinois confiscated a package of two books with pages soaked in synthetic cannabinoids. Officials allege this package was also from Joiner.
The Source: Details for this story were provided by federal court documents.