AURORA – Aurora police arrested two people this week suspected of distributing large amounts of the illegal drug known as “Spice.” An estimated 12,000 packets of the drug were seized during the investigation.

Dowinder Boparai, 54, and Seble Gebreegziabhair, 28, both of Aurora, are facing several drug-related charges and were jailed with bonds of $50,000 each.

Police say they observed Boparai and Gebreegziabhair engage in a suspected drug transaction.

Gebreegziabhair was later contacted and arrested for her role in the transaction. When she was arrested, officers recovered several hundred packets of suspected Spice. Boparai was arrested at his home a short time later.

Police searched at least three storage facilities where investigators found the remaining packets of suspected Spice.

Spice is a synthetic cannabinoid designed to mimic the affects of marijuana. It is a psychoactive designer drug derived from natural herbs and sprayed with synthetic chemicals.

It can be up to 800 times stronger than marijuana. It is an extremely dangerous drug, and an overdose with this drug is the official cause of death of at least one 15-year-old man in Aurora last summer.

Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates offered this statement after the arrests. “We need to educate young people who use this stuff that it can kill. I am thankful that our officers got so large an amount of spice off the streets and that we are holding these dealers accountable.”

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