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Newport Beach man sentenced in drug scheme that produced ‘spice’

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A Newport Beach man who orchestrated a drug operation that produced “spice,” or synthetic marijuana, was sentenced Thursday to 120 months in federal prison, authorities said.

Sean Libbert, 41, orchestrated a “wide-reaching conspiracy” that smuggled, manufactured and distributed millions of dollars worth of analogue drugs, federal prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in November to charges related to distributing spice, which is widely considered much more dangerous than normal marijuana and has been linked to overdoses, serious injuries and deaths nationwide, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California.

In 2011 and 2012, Libbert’s organization smuggled more than 200 pounds of chemicals from China to the United States to make spice, which was marketed as “Da Kine Blend,” prosecutors said. The operation involved several companies, bank accounts and private mailboxes and sold more than $5 million worth of product nationwide, authorities said Thursday.

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In July 2012, investigators seized luxury vehicles, firearms and about 700 rounds of ammunition in connection with the case. Libbert was prohibited from possessing the weapons as a result of three previous felony convictions, one of which was for drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

Officials also seized Libbert’s assets, including real estate in San Juan Capistrano and Ohio. He was arrested in 2014.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint

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