Attorney General Steve Marshall announces crackdown on “gas station heroin”
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – Attorney General Steve Marshall and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency have announced a crackdown on illegal kratom products that are sometimes called “gas station heroin.”
An effort called Operation Southern Shield is targeting kratom products at gas stations and convenience stores across Alabama. The operation has resulted in the execution of 83 search warrants and the seizure of nearly 123,000 doses of illegal kratom products.
“Alabama will not be a marketplace for dangerous, illegal substances,” said Attorney General Marshall. “We gave retailers every opportunity to comply, and those who chose to ignore the law are now facing the consequences.”
Over several weeks, ALEA agents conducted undercover purchases. The investigation included two warehouses in Montgomery, where additional search warrants were executed. Agents also identified multiple out-of-state distributors shipping illegal kratom products into Alabama.
Operation Southern Shield resulted in the seizure of 63,995 bottles of products containing kratom, as well as approximately 59,000 additional doses seized from the warehouses.
