Authorities seized $60,000 in cash, a handgun and packages of synthetic marijuana from a manβs house that was raided as part of a multi-city investigation into the sale and manufacture of the drug commonly known as βspice,β court records show.
Hesham Ibrahim, a native of Sudan who was born in 1988, was arrested July 27 during the execution of a search warrant at his midtown home, near South Swan Road and East 22nd St., states an unsealed criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Tucson.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Tucson police and other agencies conducted raids that day on homes and businesses in Tucson and two other cities in connection with the drug investigation.
Agents found packets of suspected synthetic cannabinoids, in trash bags, backpacks and other bags throughout Ibrahimβs house, states the complaint.
The spice packets were labeled βKushβ, βKing Kongβ, βKlimaxβ and βToxic.β A field test of one of the packets inside a backpack tested positive for an illegal controlled substance, according to the court document. Previous DEA laboratory tests of packages with these labels have also tested positive for illegal substances.
A safe containing about $60,000 cash and a money counter were also found inside the house, along with a loaded Springfield XD-9mm handgun in a bedroom, states the complaint.
Agents also seized a clear plastic container with marijuana, documents from his business, the Blue Moon Smoke Shop, and a black plastic tub containing a red leafy substance, which tested negative for synthetic cannabinoids.
However, agents believed the leafy substance βultimatelyβ was intended to be used as a synthetic cannabinoid, according to the court documents.
During questioning, Ibrahim told investigators that he knew that the synthetic cannabinoids at his house were illegal, states the complaint.
No documents regarding the smoke shop were found in a court records search.
The majority of court records related to the raids are sealed, said Erica Curry, a DEA spokeswoman in Phoenix. She said because records are sealed, DEA agents cannot comment on the investigation.
Ibrahim was released on his own recognizance days after his arrest and cannot leave Arizona without the courtβs permission, under conditions of his release. He also was required to surrender his passport and not possess any firearm, or other dangerous weapon or ammunition.
The undercover federal investigation, which included the Tucson Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, served 32 federal search warrants in Tucson, Denver and Long Beach, California, and 18 people were arrested, Curry said after the raids.
The DEA has not said how many arrests were made in Tucson.
In addition to cash, agents also seized 600 pounds of spice and several luxury vehicles. Authorities also dismantled a possible drug manufacturing lab, said Curry.
Spice, which is smoked, is often sold in smoke shops, small convenience stores and gas stations as βincenseβ or βpotpourri.β
Not all brands are illegal β it depends on the compounds used in the manufacturing of the product. Spice is a mixture of herbs, spices or shredded plant material that is typically sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
