NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Two men who led a $21 million spice manufacturing and distribution conspiracy were sentenced today to 32 years and 28 years in prison, respectively. Both men were also ordered to forfeit $6.5 million.

Charles Burton Ritchie, 46, and Benjamin Galecki, 42, both of Pensacola, Florida, were convicted by a federal jury on January 23. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Ritchie and Galecki operated Zencense, a Pensacola-based company that manufactured smokable synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice,” throughout 2012. Ritchie and Galecki’s company gave their spice blends such names as Bizarro, Neutronium, Orgazmo, and Sonic Zero. Their products contained XLR-11 and UR-144, which at that time were analogues of JWH-018, a Schedule I controlled substance. In December 2012, Ritchie and Galecki purported to sell their company to a third party in California, though they continued to exercise control over the company into 2013. The new company’s name was ZenBio.

Between August 2012 and April 2013, Zencense and ZenBio shipped a total of approximately 1,000 kilograms of spice to the Hampton Roads area. Zencense and ZenBio spice was sold at Hampton Pipe and Tobacco, a headshop in Hampton, as well as at the Red Barn, a convenience store in Newport News, among other locations.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk; Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Mark S. McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; Colonel Kirk B. Stabler, Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division; Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police; and Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Hurt and Kevin Hudson prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15-cr-18.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A father and son were sentenced today to a combined 27 years in prison for their roles in a synthetic cannabinoid trafficking operation. The duo was also ordered to forfeit over $1.9 million from their Spice sales.

 

Nader Abdallah, 56, of Rochester, New York, who was sentenced to 198 months in prison, was convicted on Oct. 20, 2016, by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, possession with intent to distribute schedule I controlled substances, distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and two counts of false statements. Nader’s son, Sharif Abdallah, 33, also of Rochester, who was sentenced to 132 months in prison, pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2016, to conspiracy to use a communication facility and unlawful monetary transactions.

According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial of Nader Abdallah, the father/son team operated a gas station and convenience store located on Warwick Boulevard in Newport News called the Red Barn. Nader and Sharif would take turns coming down from New York to operate the store. In 2011, the Red Barn began selling smokable synthetic cannabinoid products, commonly known as “Spice.” According to court documents, Sharif told investigating agents that he would spend $15,000 to $20,000 on spice inventory in a slow month and $30,000 to $50,000 on spice inventory in a good month.

According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial of Nader Abdallah, on Sept. 18, 2014, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Red Barn, where they found over 18 kilograms of spice, over $100,000 in cash and a safety deposit box key. Agents conducted a subsequent search warrant of the safety deposit box where they uncovered approximately $700,000 in cash. Eight days after that search warrant, Sharif contacted the Red Barn’s spice supplier and indicated that he and his father wanted to transition from the spice retail they had been doing at the Red Barn to spice wholesale. The Red Barn on Warwick Boulevard was subsequently sold and is no longer under the Abdallahs’ ownership. In December 2014, Nader and Sharif Abdallah acquired a new property in Newport News, which they began using to wholesale spice. During a search warrant executed at that new location on April 20, 2015, law enforcement found over a kilogram of spice and over $10,000 in cash.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk; and Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and Kevin Hudson prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15-cr-18.

NORFOLK, Va. – Charles Burton Ritchie, 46, Benjamin Galecki, 42, both of Pensacola, Florida, were convicted today by a federal jury on charges related to their respective roles in a $21 million spice manufacturing and distribution conspiracy.

“Spice is a dangerous mixture of ingredients that can be deadly,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Often it is our young people who fall victim to these illegal drugs, obtaining them at gas stations and convenience stores without any idea how dangerous they can be. I want to commend our trial team and investigative partners for their terrific work on this case.”

“Spice wreaks havoc on the lives of its users,” said Clark E. Settles, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, which oversees the Norfolk office that conducted this investigation. “Consumers ingest these toxic chemicals for a short-term high, all too often to have devastating effects on their bodies. Today’s verdict underscores the hard work our special agents and law enforcement partners do to protect the people of Hampton Roads.”

“Today’s verdict demonstrates the commitment of FDA and its law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who distribute potentially dangerous unapproved drugs, which poses a risk to the public health,” said Mark McCormack, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations.

Ritchie and Galecki were indicted on Sept. 8, 2015. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Ritchie and Galecki operated Zencense, a Pensacola-based company that manufactured smokable synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice,” throughout 2012. Ritchie and Galecki’s company gave their spice blends such names as Bizarro, Neutronium, Orgazmo, and Sonic Zero. Their products contained XLR-11 and UR-144, which at that time were analogues of JWH-018, a Schedule I controlled substance. In Dec. 2012, Ritchie and Galecki purported to sell their company to a third party in California, though they continued to exercise control over the company into 2013. The new company’s name was ZenBio.

Between August 2012 and April 2013, Zencense and ZenBio shipped a total of approximately 1,000 kilograms of spice to the Hampton Roads area. Zencense and ZenBio spice was sold at Hampton Pipe and Tobacco, a headshop in Hampton, as well as at the Red Barn, a convenience store in Newport News, among other locations.

Ritchie and Galecki each face a maximum penalty of 79 years in prison when sentenced on May 22. 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; Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of (HSI) Washington; Joseph Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Mark McCormack, Special Agent in Charge of Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations; Terrance Salt, Chief of the Hampton Police Division; Richard W. Myers, Chief of the Newport News Police Department; and Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Hurt and Kevin Hudson 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. 4:15-cr-18.