Spice Targets Arrested

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The local owners of a business charged with selling “Spice” were arrested yesterday based upon federal warrants issued in the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to court documents and court proceedings, Nadir Abdallah, age 54, and Sharif Abdallah, age 31, both of Newport News, Virginia, were arrested on an indictment issued by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Newport News, Virginia.  The indictment charges both individuals with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Controlled Substances and Controlled Substance Analogues (also known as Spice) and Making a False Statement.  

Nadar and Sharif Abdallah each face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Terry Sult, Chief of Hampton Police, Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police, and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Nadar Abdallah’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller. Sharif Abdallah was arrested in the Western District of New York and will appear for a detention hearing on April 22, 2015, in Rochester, New York. Nadar Abdallah’s detention hearing is scheduled for April 22, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in Newport News Federal Court.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Hampton Police Division, Newport News Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and Kevin Hudson and Special Assistant United States Attorney Amy Cross are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15cr18.