Chicago Police say nearly 175 pounds of synthetic cannabis intercepted this month was clearly being marketed towards young children because it had packaging that featured cartoon characters such as Batman's nemesis The Joker and a monkey holding a banana.

As of Wednesday, police were working to determine where the drugs, valued at more than $1.2 million, originated and who was intended recipient.

Officers pursued a tip regarding the shipment of synthetic cannabis, which was outlawed in Illinois in 2011, and after obtaining a search warrant found nine packages taht weighted 172 pounds, police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said. The shipment, which was comprised of packages featuring brightly-colored wrapping with cartoon characters such as The Joker and a monkey holding a banana that was labeled "Monkey Spanker."

The way the product was wrapped indicated it was "targeted and packaged in a way to attract young children," Mirabelli said.

Police would not disclose where the cannabis was found, since the investigation was continuing, and continued to work to find out where it originated and where it was going.

A law went into effect in Illinois in 2011 that outlawed synthetic cannabis, which contains herbs that when sprayed with synthetic chemicals allegedly mimic the effects of cannabis.
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