WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE –Thousands of dollars worth of fake bath salts were seized by local law enforcement agencies in the 24 hours after they were declared illegal.

Police officers and deputies went to stores across the state with fliers and boxes to collect packets of “Cloud 9”, “Scarface” and other similar substances.

Gov. Bobby Jindal signed an emergency rule this week classifying the bath salts as a controlled substance. Louisiana had seen the highest rate of hospitalizations from people using the substance as a drug. Poison control officials said the chemical produces hallucinations, including suicidal thoughts.

While some agencies did not find any products to seize, others had quite a haul:

• Baton Rouge Police seized 2,376 packets from eight stores, worth $95,000 retail.
• Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office seized $33,000 worth of product from ten stores.
• Tangipahoa Parish SO visited 70 stores and seized $50,000 worth of stock.

In all cases, stores were told that authorities would continue to make spot checks from time to time to make sure they were staying in compliance.