Springfield business owner on the run for K2 scheme

A Springfield business owner charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance as well as mail fraud is currently a fugitive from justice.

Travis Butchee, 37, owner of The Man Cave, was charged in federal court on a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield. An arrest warrant has been issued and Butchee is being sought by authorities, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Butchee - who opened The Man Cave at 1927 S. Glenstone Ave. in February - allegedly partnered with Michael Saguto, 42, of Kirbyville, to manufacture the synthetic marijuana substance K2 for sale under the name Southern Spice LLC to area retailers.

Saguto also is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance as well as mail fraud. He remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

According to the affidavit, Southern Spice manufactured synthetic cannabinoids – under such labels as Red Eyed, Blazed, Donkey Punch, Jolly Grape Giant, South of the Tracks, Baby Face and Devilz Lettuce – which were distributed to several businesses for resale, including two Springfield locations.

Search warrants were executed from January to December 2012 at Zak's Place and two Doobies Novelties LLC locations in Springfield, Beer and Bottle in Hollister, and Big E’s Novelties LLC in Lebanon. Law enforcement officers seized hundreds of packages of K2 manufactured by Southern Spice, which were being sold by the businesses.

The affidavit cites four undercover purchases of K2 from The Man Cave by law enforcement officers in April and May 2013.

On May 16, officers executed search warrants at the residence of Saguto and two residences owned by Butchee, seizing the components of a synthetic cannabinoid manufacturing laboratory, a significant amount of cash contained in an ammo box, three 5-gallon buckets containing a plant substance identified as synthetic cannabinoids and packages filled with a substance believed to be synthetic cannabinoids, which were labeled Hillbilly Hay.

Saguto received numerous parcels through the mail on a frequent basis, the affidavit says, including frequent international parcels, many of which originated in China where most of the chemicals used to manufacture synthetic cannabinoids are produced. The affidavit cites a package from China, which was intercepted by law enforcement officers, and contained two foil bags, each with approximately 1 kilogram of a chemical compound used to manufacture K2.

According to the affidavit, a total of $169,859 in checks from various head shops, tattoo parlors and other businesses were deposited into the Southern Spice bank account between April 10 and Nov. 20, 2012. Money was found to be wired by Southern Spice to accounts in Hong Kong and China.

Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Oliver is prosecuting the case. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigation; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Springfield Police Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration  Task Force; and the COMET – Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team – Task Force.