Mobile police arrested 12 people over two days in a coordinated crackdown targeting the sale and possession of spice, the synthetic drug that has sent hundreds of local residents to area emergency rooms in recent months.
Officers served 13 search warrants across the city Thursday and Friday as part of an operation authorities dubbed Spice R.A.I.D.S., short for Reduction Awareness Interdiction Deterrence Strategy. Mobile Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Rains said the operation was designed “to curtail the current epidemic” of spice use in the area.
Of the 12 people taken into custody, eight face spice-related charges. Five were charged with possession of the substance, while three face charges of distribution. One suspect named by authorities could not immediately be located in Mobile County Metro Jail records, and police have not explained the discrepancy.
During the raids, officers seized roughly three pounds of homemade spice along with approximately 150 packs of prepackaged product, according to Rains. Investigators also recovered three handguns and small amounts of marijuana, crack cocaine and methamphetamine during the searches.
The operation touched neighborhoods across Mobile, with warrants served at locations including blocks of Owens Street, LeCren Street, Government Street, Graham Avenue, Columbia Street, Frederick Street, Hemley Avenue, Navco Road, Cherokee Street and multiple blocks along 10th, 11th and 2nd streets.
Multiple units within the Mobile Police Department took part in the coordinated effort, including the Narcotics Unit, the Mobile County Street Enforcement Narcotics Teams’ Drug Task Force, the Tactical Intelligence Detail, the Community Services Division and the Community Based Response Accountability Detail.
The crackdown comes as spice-related health emergencies have surged locally. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, Mobile County emergency rooms treated at least 250 people for spice-related complications, making the county one of the hardest hit in the state. Health officials have warned that spice, a synthetic cannabinoid often marketed as a legal alternative to marijuana, can cause unpredictable and sometimes severe reactions because its chemical composition varies widely between batches. Police say the multi-agency operation reflects a broader push to address both the supply side of the spice trade and the public health emergency it has fueled across Mobile.