ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida Police Department announced Wednesday that their officers made a very large drug bust at an apartment not far from campus last month.
When investigators busted the college students at the Knight's Circle apartment complex they found lab equipment, thousands of dollars in cash and butane hash-oil, a derivative of pot.
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However, this stuff is a lot more potent, according to UCF police Chief Richard Beary.
"It's not your grandfather's marijuana," said Beary. "This is not a couple of percentage points of THC. This is highly synthesized and it's dangerous. We don't know what the long-term affects are on the human body."
Beary said at a press conference Wednesday that the process of making the hash-oil is very dangerous and can be as hazardous as producing meth.
The students were operating a very profitable business inside their apartment, according to investigators.
"We see this and we need to address it. We need the community's help, the student's help, the faculty's help," said Beary. "We need to address this as one and that's what we're trying to do. Educate and incarcerate."
Detectives say Gabriel Martinez, 19, Jason Levine, 20, had a very elaborate setup and had been running the operation for several weeks. Charges were dropped against a third person.
While Beary is glad a tip led to an arrest, he's concerned that butane hash oil is on the rise.
"I think what we're seeing is we're endangering a whole new generation of young people and I think it's got to stop."
Investigators blame the rise of the drug on the states that are legalizing medical marijuana.