A 19-year-old dude in Ventura County got thrown into jail this week for allegedly running a full-blown drug delivery service that was catering specifically to kids. The guy, Benjamin Marcus, is accused of acting like an illegal drug delivery app, using social media to sell all sorts of nasty stuff to minors across the county.
📱 A Mobile Drug Store for Students
Investigators from the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Unit, or VC FOCUS, say Marcus was a busy man. He allegedly used a bunch of different social media and messaging apps to connect with his young customers. He wasn't just selling simple pot either. Authorities claim he was moving serious stuff like psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, ketamine, marijuana, and nicotine products. He was essentially making it super easy for high school or even middle school kids to get their hands on a menu of illegal drugs delivered right to them.
This kind of operation is seriously messed up because it directly targets young people who are super vulnerable and easy to reach through their phones. The idea of a teenager running a countywide delivery service for hard drugs is a major wakeup call about what kids are doing online.
💰 The Giant Pile of Cash
Detectives finally served a search warrant at Marcus’s place in Ventura on December 4. This is where things got really spicy. When they searched the home, police didn't just find a few joints. They grabbed a ton of evidence.
Here is the haul that police announced they seized:
- About 73 marijuana vape pens.
- 7 containers of nicotine liquid.
- 1 LSD tab, which is a powerful hallucinogen.
- Some marijuana wax and ketamine.
And the best part? They also seized over $35,500 in cash from the home. That is a massive pile of money, showing just how much business this operation was supposedly doing. This cash is believed to be all the dirty money from his drug sales.
⚖️ Booked, Bailed, and Waiting
Marcus was arrested and booked on a laundry list of serious charges. These charges include possessing a controlled substance for sale, giving a controlled substance to someone, having marijuana for sale, and selling or moving marijuana.
But here is the crazy part that always gets people talking: the 19-year-old posted bail. That means he is now walking free, waiting for his trial to start. He is out there after being charged with selling heavy drugs to children and having tens of thousands of dollars in drug money.
The whole situation shows the never ending battle police face when trying to stop the flow of drugs to kids, especially when it is being delivered right to their doorstep.