HAMPTON, Va. – A 31-year-old Hampton man was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for selling ‘spice’ in Hampton Roads and other parts of the country.
Jayson Mickle
Jayson Mickle pleaded guilty in June 2016 to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substances.
Court documents say Mickle sold ‘spice’ in Hampton Roads from 2008 to 2014 and eventually, nationwide.
The sales began through retail stores like Hampton Pipe and Tobacco, which operates in Hampton, Newport News, Gloucester, and Norfolk. In 2010, Mickle began a wholesale operation online called ‘Blazin Herbs.’ In 2013, the name was changed to ‘7 City Gifts.’
The ‘spice’ was supplied by Zencense, a large-scale ‘spice’ producer and wholesaler based in Florida. Mickle’s operation purchased over 1,000 kilograms of ‘spice’ from Zencense and its successor company Zenbio, based in California.
Between 2010 and 2012, Hampton Pipe and Tobacco grossed over $9.6 million in ‘spice’ sales.
Mickle used some of the profits to purchase over two dozen properties, which he was ordered to forfeit.
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