MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Attorney General’s Office on Monday announced that it has seized 64,000 bottles of products containing kratom from Alabama retailers through a joint operation with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the State Bureau of Investigations.
Operation Southern Shield was a result of renewed complaints about kratom products received by the AG’s office.
Last year, several district attorneys across the state issued cease and desist letters about Boujee Bliss, one product containing kratom, which led to it largely disappearing from the market. But as new products causing similar side effects surfaced, more complaints emerged.
Mitragynine and hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as kratom, have been classified as schedule one narcotics in Alabama for around a decade. Typically marketed as stress relievers or sleep aids, products containing kratom are often labeled in a way that does not indicate their true composition.
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences tested products obtained by agents during undercover operations and found kratom content in those as well. The AG’s office issued a cease and desist letter earlier this year to warn all retailers holding an Alabama Beverage Control license about the danger of these products.
“This stuff is highly addictive, it has opioid-like effects and despite the label, it is not made from natural kratom, or what people think is natural kratom,” Katherine Robertson, chief counsel to AG Steve Marshall, said in a press conference. “This is mostly synthetic stuff, which is highly concentrated and highly addictive.”
Kratom acts like a stimulant at first but ultimately behaves like an opioid with repeated use, according to the SBI’s Major Crimes Chief Shawn Loughridge. He said the products can lead to hallucinations and seizures in extreme cases.
Since the operation began in May, law enforcement officers have executed 83 search warrants statewide at retail locations continuing to sell the illegal products. In addition to the 64,000 bottles taken in from retailers, officers also seized 59,000 doses of kratom products from two wholesale warehouses in Montgomery.
Officers have investigated sites in Colbert, Covington, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Madison, Marshall and Montgomery Counties, Loughridge said. The investigation is still ongoing.
“This operation sends a clear message: that Alabama will continue to aggressively investigate violations involving illegal controlled substances and will remain committed to protecting our communities and keeping our citizens safe,” Loughridge said at the press conference.