AURORA | State prosecutors have reached a $100,000 settlement with an Aurora convenience store owner accused of selling “spice,” which local medical experts say is a dangerous mixture of chemicals and substances touted as “legal” and natural marijuana substitute.

Rahmatollah Ghamari, owner of Paymon’s Market has agreed to pay $100,000 to settle several civil lawsuits filed against the store, according to a statement from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

State and local prosecutors say the market at East 11th Avenue and Yosemite Street sold several strains of the drug, which is illegal under state law. Prosecutors also said Paymon’s products were labeled as being legal and “100% cannabinoid Free.” The substance is illegal here and in many other states.

Experts say when smoked, the drug can lead to a long list of health troubles, including seizures and accelerated heart rates.

According to a statement from the AG’s office, Aurora police and the Colorado Department of Revenue launched a joint investigation into the store and in July 2013 seized 1,181 packages of spice from Paymon’s.

The store’s spice products included “Crazy Monkey,” “Mad Monkey,” “Sexy Monkey,” and “iBlown,” as well as unlabeled packages of spice products, prosecutors said.

Investigators from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation analyzed the strands from Paymon’s and found that they all contained illegal synthetic cannabinoids.

“This settlement is another positive step in our effort to stop the open sale of ‘spice’ in Colorado stores,” Attorney General-Elect Cynthia Coffman said in a statement announcing the settlement last week. “It is important that the public continue to be educated on the fact that these products are both illegal and extremely
dangerous.”

State prosecutors said that because Ghamari can’t afford to pay the full $100,000 settlement at once, he will pay $15,000 up front, and then $15,000 a year over a four-year period.

The lawsuit against Paymon’s was part of a broader crackdown by state and federal prosecutors last year against stores that sell the drug. Federal prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office in Denver said at the time that more than 220 people were admitted to Colorado emergency rooms from August 2013 to September 2013 after using the drug.