Utah Homeland Security agent charged with dealing bath salts: report

A Department of Homeland Security agent in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been arrested and faces federal charges of drug dealing, reported FOX13's Adam Herbets.

"David Cole is charged with dealing bath salts. There is another suspect in this case who is currently only being identified as PERSON A," reported Herbets. "A confidential source reported Cole and PERSON A, who also works as a special agent. The source says the bath salts came from HSI evidence. Prosecutors say they dealt bath salts once or twice a week starting in April 2024, profiting up to $300K."

Cole worked in the Homeland Security Investigations office, according to the report.

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"After working legitimate controlled drug buys with the two agents and others within Homeland Security Investigations, the informant said Cole approached him with a proposition to sell bath salts illegally," said the report, with the informant saying Cole and the other agent would sell him the drugs for $5,000 once or twice a week, after which he would sell them on the street for double the price and pocket the profits.

He reportedly further claimed he continued the arrangement "out of fear for his personal safety."

As of press time, the agency has not responded.

"Bath salts" is the street name for a class of designer stimulant drugs made from synthetic cathinone, the active ingredient in the Khat plant, which is said to produce a dopamine high 10 times more powerful than cocaine.

The drugs became sensationalized in the media over the last decade and characterized as "zombie drugs" for their users' supposed tendency to bite and rip flesh off others, although scientists say these reports have been exaggerated.