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Sacred Journey hits another bump in the legal system

By Janene Gier

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Just as the K2 chaos seemed to quiet, Sacred Journey experienced more legal trouble — this time in the form of a hefty tax bill. Officials entered Sacred Journey, 1103 Massachusetts St., Thursday morning to confiscate a Chinese herbal supplement and money, and to tax Sacred Journey’s owner, Natalie McAnulla.

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Kansan file photo

Protesters march through Massachusetts Street earlier this year. The rally was organized after herbal store Sacred Journey was subject to a raid by federal and local officials who siezed the K2 herbal blend on February 4. Sacred Journey was raided again recently.

Matthew Rader, a sophomore from Kansas City and employee of Sacred Journey, said the tax bill was around $300,000.

McAnulla said the pills, called Que She, were confiscated because they contained a banned ingredient she was not aware of.

“Apparently it has fenfluramine in it. They told me this. They just came in and took it all and drug taxed me 200 dollars per pill I had in stock. They took every penny I had in the store from the safe to the change box.”

The FDA removed fenfluramine, more commonly known as Fen-Phen, from the market in 1997 because of the potential risk to the heart.

Rhonda Janke, an associate professor of horticulture at Kansas State University, said she wasn’t familiar with the herb Que She.

“If it’s known for weight loss there might be a good chance the herb does contain the fenfluramine compound,” Janke said.

Que She is touted on many websites, such as Bouncingbearbotanicals.com, for its weight loss effects, but the product is no longer available for purchase. Bouncing Bears Botanicals, which sells products such as salvia and hallucinogenic mushrooms and formerly sold to Sacred Journey, could not be reached for comment.

“I’d say about the store in general that they’re kind of looking to fulfill a demand for legal highs essentially and any situation where you are doing that is very grey legally,” Trey Regan, a junior from Wichita, said.

Regan said this kind of thing makes people expect that Sacred Journey will be shut down. He said he’s not sure that people should be selling those kinds of things to any willing customer.

Lydia Shontz, the Sacred Journey manager, said she arrived to work about 15 minutes after the officials showed up last Thursday and said they didn’t leave until about 3 p.m. The store remained closed for the rest of the day.

Cary Engle, owner of neighboring Englewood Florist, 1101 Mass., said it was a slow summer day and he didn’t know officials had entered and closed Sacred Journey that day.

“The last time they came, there were police cars lined up around the corner. I haven’t noticed anything going on over there today,” Engle said.

Sgt. Troy Squire, investigative detective at the Lawrence Police Department, said Lawrence officers were there to provide local support, but he could not comment further.

A representative from the U.S. attorney’s office declined to say whether Sacred Journey was raided or if it was under investigation.

Comments

Sacred Journey hits another bump in the legal system

Wow. Why isn't BP getting this kind of treatment?

Sacred Journey hits another bump in the legal system

I know the sheriff is the tax collector, but can he simply take the money? Should he first issue a tax bill? He would have to have court judgment, right? Even if you don't pay your taxes, the sheriff can't just come into your house and start collecting things. He has to have the court order the judicial sale.

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