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Press Release

East Texans Arrested on Federal Violations

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas

TYLER, Texas - U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today that five individuals have been arrested following a lengthy investigation into drug trafficking in the Eastern District of Texas.

                On Aug. 4, 2016, a combined task force of federal, state and local law enforcement executed federal arrest and search warrants in Plano, Carrollton, Dallas and Tyler, Texas as a result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Administration, Plano Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Smith County Sheriff’s Office.

The operation resulted in the arrest of five defendants named in a 13-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Aug. 3, 2016.  According to the indictment, from at least April 2013, the defendants, who are all related, conspired to distribute synthetic drugs at two retail establishments in the Eastern District of Texas:  Minute Stop/Valero Gas Station located at 11874 Hwy 64 West in Tyler, Texas and Ashes Smokes and Tattoos located at 1428 Avenue K in Plano, Texas.  Those arrested and named in the indictment are:

Saleem Jaffer Jiwani, 58, of Tyler;
Adeel Uz Zaman Khan, 30, of Carrollton;
Nadia Farishta, 53, of Dallas;
Sharjeel Jeff Ali, 28, of Dallas; and
Nimrose Khan, 32, of Carrollton.

Over $250,000 in cash and in excess of 6,000 packages of synthetic drugs were recovered during today’s law enforcement operations.   

If convicted, the defendants face as much as 20 years in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by DEA, Plano Police Department, IRS, ATF, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Ann Cozby.

An indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Updated August 4, 2016

Topic
Drug Trafficking