VIDALIA — Only weeks after possession and sale of synthetic marijuana became illegal in Louisiana, the local authorities have made a major arrest and seizure.

The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Office of Alcohol & Tobacco Control and the Vidalia Police Department, arrested the manager of a Vidalia convenience store Monday on drug charges for allegedly having synthetic cannabis in the store, a CPSO press release said.

Waddah T. Mujalli, 23, of Natchez, manager of the Rainbow Mini-Mart, was charged with possession of schedule I drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia after officers reportedly found a number of packages of the synthetic marijuana, as well as smoking pipes, digital scales and other illegal drug related paraphernalia under the store counter. Officers seized these items, along with more than $12,000.

A new law banning the synthetic material also known as incense, an herbal smoking blend, Voodoo, Mojo and K-2 went into effect Aug. 15.

Sheriff Randy Maxwell said recently that his office would handle the new illegal drug just as they have always handled illegal drugs.