ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- A Jacksonville man is behind bars after the Drug Enforcement Administration busted him for making the synthetic drug 25I.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office and the DEA teamed up after hearing that a Jacksonville man was making the 'designer drug' 25I-nbome. The drug is similar to LSD or Ecstasy.
Detectives set up a meeting time and point with the suspect, Ricardo Chavarriaga. Beforehand, they observed Chavarriaga pull into a storage unit at U Store It on Blanding Boulevard.
DEA agents met Chavarriaga at a Burger King nearby and started a vehicle takedown.
Chavarriaga gave the agents consent to search his vehicle. They found 6,300 pieces of suspected 25I, several hundred rounds of ammo, an AK style rifle, a Taurus 44-magnum pistol, marijuana and other materials needed to manufacture 25I.
Detectives contacted the storage unit manager who told them he suspected Chavarriaga was making drugs at his facility, but he was never able to prove it.
Chavarriaga was booked into the Clay County jail and is being held on a $502,508 bond.
The drug 25I was made a controlled substance as of December 2012 under an emergency order signed by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
