Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Synthetic Cannabinoid Charges

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Shukri Abdullah, age 44, of Albany, New York, pled guilty today to possessing synthetic cannabinoids with the intent to distribute them.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

As part of his guilty plea, Abdullah, a proprietor of the Grand Deli in Albany, New York, admitted that he possessed two garbage bags filled with hundreds of packets of synthetic cannabinoids, also known as “Spice” or “K2,” and that he sold the packets to customers of the Grand Deli so they could smoke the contents, which mimic the effects of marijuana.  Abdullah also admitted that he routinely purchased large quantities of the substances from a New York City supplier, paying between $7,000 and $9,000 in cash for each shipment.

Abdullah faces up to 20 years in prison and 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release when he is sentenced on February 13, 2017 by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers.