Loudonville business raided in drug probe

Authorities raided a village business Friday for the third time this year as part of an ongoing drug
investigation.

The Loudonville Tobacco Shop, 633 Ohio 39, has been part of a probe that started in January.
Numerous controlled purchases of K2/spice, or synthetic marijuana, were made by confidential
informants, police said.

In Friday's raid, authorities seized multiple packets of K2/spice, more than $1,000 in cash, a
surveillance system and the store's tobacco inventory.

Store owner Larry Bays was served with a complaint charging him with two counts of
aggravated trafficking in drugs with specifications listing the real estate as subject to forfeiture.
Bays was indicted in May and was out on bond when he reportedly started selling K2/spice again
in September.

Participating agencies were the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, Ashland City Police
Department, Loudonville Police Department, the METRICH Enforcement Unit and the Ashland
City/County Special Response Team.

Originally published in the News Journal on September 25, 2012.