Long-term drug investigation nets more than two dozen arrests

Nearly 30 people were arrested last month following a long-term drug investigation of a Camden County business.

The Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group started investigating a Camden County shop called “Hippie Spirit” in July 2012.

Camdenton Police, the Camden Co. Sheriff’s Department and the LANEG conducted a drug search warrant at Hippie Spirit and found 754 packages of synthetic marijuana, drug paraphernalia related to packaging and selling the drugs.

Less than a month ago, law enforcement agencies along with the US Postal Service and the DEA arrested the owners of Hippie Spirit, Brett and Sherri Beeman of O’Fallon, Missouri, along with 26 others on federal drug charges related to importing and selling synthetic marijuana and bath salts across the country.