Navy Broadens ‘Spice’ Probe

The number of local sailors under investigation for allegedly using a designer drug called "spice" has grown to 90 over the past month, the Navy announced Monday.

A half-dozen recent inquiries have implicated 28 sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, according to a statement from the Third Fleet.

That total is —another aircraft carrier based in Coronado—10 from the submarine USS San Francisco and three from the floating dry dock USS Arco.

The use of synthetic drugs is illegal in the Navy, and sailors found to have used narcotics can be discharged.

The Navy has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, said Vice Adm. Gerald Beaman, the Third Fleet commander.

“Drug abuse puts lives and missions at risk and undercuts unit readiness and morale,” Beaman said. “The use of synthetic drugs, to include spice, is illegal and the Navy continues to aggressively investigate the use of synthetic drugs and hold those in violation accountable”

Beaman said holding drug-users accountable protects the majority of sailors who don't consume narcotics.

—City News Service