Prescription painkillers, medicinal marijuana and now the abuse in selling prescription cough syrup is one of the latest.
Federal authorities say they have cracked a ring that banked at least $10 million and used its own renegade pharmacies to purchase 97,000 pints of prescription-strength cough syrup and smuggle them from California to Houston to make a deadly potion wildly popular in the hip-hop world.
The syrup used in "Purple Drank" goes for $300 to $600 a pint on the streets of Houston, and was enough to provide at least 1.5 million doses, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Arrested as the accused ringleader was Lucita Uy, a 70-year-old grandmother originally from the Philippines. This is not her first run-in with the law as she served 20 months in federal prison a decade ago for money laundering.
The syrup stockpile allegedly allowed its sellers to make millions of dollars and purchase luxury cars, Rolex watches and numerous commercial and residential properties in California and Texas.
In the Houston area, the properties included commercial buildings on Almeda, a large home in the walled Royal Oaks Country Club community and a few other sites.
The money moved between major banks and car dealers as well as real estate companies, pharmacies and other businesses, according to accusations in a federal indictment.
Apple Falls Right Next to the Tree
Uy is accused of money laundering and conspiracy along with her son, Lemuel Libunao, also arrested, and two other defendants, Christopher L. Crawford and Kendra P. Manigualt, both recently arrested in Houston.
The indictment alleges the drugs were bought as part of a scheme in which Uy purchased three California pharmacies, then got a DEA registration number lawfully required to buy promethazine from legitimate distributorships.
The pints were driven to Houston, thousands of bottles at a time, during at least two dozen trips. Manigualt and Crawford are described as distributing the syrup for Uy and Libunao.
The drug money was supposedly used to purchase at least seven properties, including the county club home that the federal government is seeking to have forfeited.
Several banks used
Two commercial buildings on Almeda, in bad repair, were both locked and windows covered. One has an old sign in the lobby indicating it was a California insurance company.
A half-dozen Rolex watches - one trimmed in diamonds - are among the jewelry also being taken by the government as alleged illegal proceeds.
The government took funds from accounts in an array of financial institutions, including Bank of America, Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Wachovia Bank and others.
Besides the movement of cashier's checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars, the indictment lists more than 60 instances of $10,000 or less being deposited in banks as an apparent effort to skirt detection.
Cough Syrup Big Bucks in Texas
The popular but illegal beverage sells for nearly twice as much in Houston as it does in Los Angeles, and is usually more diluted as it is passed from dealer to dealer before being used. It is made by mixing cough syrup containing codeine with carbonated soda, and adding candy for flavor.
Purple Drank is said to produce a high similar to heroin's, and is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol.
The mixture, also known as "Lean," "Sizzurp" and "Texas Tea," has been around for years. It saw a resurgence in the 1990s when popularized by Houston rap stars, including one who died a decade ago of a codeine overdose.
Bath salts, cough syrup and the crud they use to make crystal meth – it is insane what some people will put in their bodies. I should know, because I once acted just like these fools. Perhaps a good online drug class will clear their minds a little. The best thing for your brain is a healthy dose of reality and sobriety.