CLEVELAND, Ohio – The owners of a chain of head shops in Northeast Ohio who federal prosecutors say sold and distributed synthetic drugs designed to mimic marijuana were indicted today by a grand jury.

Sean and Sherry Lightner, both 38, of Grafton, franchised or operated the Twilight Boutique head shops in Lakewood, Fairview Park, Tallmadge, Grafton, Streetsboro, Brunswick, Elyria, Sandusky, Plain Township in Stark County, Athens, West Carrollton, Ontario, and Oneonta, N.Y., according to the indictment.

Also named in the indictments charging the defendants with conspiracy to distribute synthetic marijuana were Dale Drummond, 39, of Cleveland, who ran the Lakewood store under a franchise agreement with the Lightners; Mark Picard, 32, of Whittier, Cal.; and Nathan Albright, 28, of Glendale, Arizona.

The head shops specialized in drug and smoking paraphernalia, selling synthetic marijuana, plus accessories such as bongs, pipes and rolling papers, according to the indictment.

The Lightners prepared laboratory reports that claimed the synthetic drugs sold in the Twilight Boutique stores did not contain controlled substances in an attempt to give the appearance that the synthetics were legal when the Lightners knew they were illegal, according to the indictment. They sold the synthetic drugs under names such as spice and K2.

Synthetic cannabinoids are a large family of chemically unrelated structures functionally similar to THC contained in marijuana. Synthetic cannabinoids may contain controlled substances and have purported physchotropic effects when smoked or ingested.

“These defendants sold a product that was designed to mimic an illegal drug,” said U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. “No matter what it was labeled or whatever clever name it was given, it was illegal.”