Two Men Charged With Federal Drug Offense Following Investigation Into Distribution of Synthetic Cannabinoids

            WASHINGTON – Two men have been charged with a federal drug offense following a law enforcement investigation that led to the seizure of roughly 265 pounds of suspected synthetic cannabinoids at a warehouse in Washington, D.C.

            The charges were filed today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Maryland State Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

            Yenework Tefera Abera, 41, of Alexandria, Va., and Siraj Issa, 33, of Washington, D.C., appeared this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Each was charged in a criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The Honorable G. Michael Harvey ordered them held pending a detention hearing on Sept. 8, 2015. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties.

            “The charges filed today reflect our steadfast commitment to dealing with the serious problem of synthetic cannabinoids,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. “Whether it has been educating our citizens throughout the District of Columbia about the dangers of synthetic cannabinoids or pursuing local and federal investigations to target the distributors and street sellers of this dangerous drug, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been aggressively attacking this problem at all fronts. And we will continue to do so to keep our community safe.”

            “Synthetic drugs pose a serious public health and safety issue to our communities,” said Clark Settles, Special Agent in Charge for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Washington, D.C. office. “This operation’s success is a testament to the excellent working relationship between our agencies and sends a clear message to anyone involved in illicit drug trade that we are united in our efforts to disrupt and dismantle their operations.”

            According to the charging documents, Abera and Issa were arrested on Sept. 1, 2015 at a storage facility in Northwest Washington. The two men were observed by law enforcement moving boxes of synthetic cannabinoids into a storage unit at the facility. Law enforcement seized a shipment of 14 boxes weighing approximately 265 pounds. The boxes contained individual packages of substances labeled “Bizarro,” a marketing name for a synthetic cannabinoid.

            Charges contained in criminal complaints are merely allegations that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

           This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Gripkey of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.