OFFICERS raided a Blackburn shop and found suspected illegal psychoactive substances, formerly known as ‘legal highs’.

Police executed a search warrant at Smokers’ Paradise in Accrington Road yesterday and seized material packaged up as ‘Voodoo’, which they suspect could be illegal.

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The substances have now been sent off for analysis. Nobody was arrested but a police spokesman said enquires are ongoing.

Sgt Oliver Jones said: “We searched a business in Blackburn following community intelligence and enquiries carried out by the police.

“We found a quantity of a psychoactive substance. That has now been sent off for analysis. We are now conducting further enquiries with the aim of prosecuting potential offenders.

“I would urge anyone who has information about potential crime being carried out in their area to call police on 101.”

The Psychoactive Substances Act came into force on May 26 this year and it is now an offence to supply psychoactive substances, formally known as legal highs.

Smokers’ Paradise bills itself on its website as a ‘one-stop shop’ for smokers.

It claims to sell bongs, lighters, lighter fluid, rolling tobaccos, herbal incense and hats and T-shirts.

In addition its website said it has on sale grinders, smoking pipes and cannabis energy drinks.

Voodoo is classed as a psychoactive substances, previously known as legal highs.

They contain one or more chemical substances which produce similar effects to illegal drugs like cocaine, cannabis or ecstasy.

After the Psychoactive Substances Act came into effect last month, none of these drugs are legal to produce, supply, or import, even for personal use, for human consumption.

Not much is known about many of these so called ‘spice’ drugs to know about their potency, their effects on people, or what happens when they’re used with other substances or alcohol.

In recent years, they have been linked to poisoning, emergency hospital admissions and, in some cases, deaths.

A police spokesman, said: “Blackburn’s South East neighbourhood policing team have executed a psychoactive substances warrant at Smokers Paradise in Accrington Road.

“A quantity of ‘Voodoo’ was found at the location which has now been seized for testing.”

Anyone with information in regard to the sale of psychoactive substances is asked to call police on 101.