Five more people indicted for role in drug conspiracy in which $2.1 million and five firearms were seized

Five people were added to a now 39-count indictment for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute at least 220 pounds of marijuana and 345 pills of Oxycodone in Northeast Ohio, law enforcement officials said.

Indicted are Amer Jabir, 37; Ahmad Jabir, 22; Aymen Abdelrahim, 28, and Gerald Knox, 37, all of Cleveland.

Added to the indictment are Jaber Hammouda, 33, of North Olmsted, Amran Jabir, 30, of Chicago; Ahmad Abukhalil, 37, of Lakwood; Mohamed Mansour, 27, of Olmsted Falls, and Alaa Hassan, 23, of Westlake. All nine are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute least 100 kilograms of marijuana and 345 pills of Oxycodone between 2015 and 2018.

There are additional charges for distribution of marijuana, distribution of Oxycodone, and related charges. Knox is charged with possession of a firearm related to drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment also seeks to forfeit more than $2.1 million in cash, five firearms, a 2015 Range Rover, a $5,000 casino poker chip and miscellaneous jewelry seized from locations in Cleveland, North Olmsted and Chicago as part of the investigation.

Amer Jabir was the leader of an organization that brought hundreds of pounds of marijuana from grow operations in California to Chicago and then Cleveland. The marijuana was hidden in secret trap compartments in vehicles that were then placed in the back of car haulers, according to court documents.

Some of the pills and marijuana were sold by Aymen Abdhelrahim, from a gas station on West 25th Street where Abdelrahim worked as a clerk, according to court documents.

“This case demonstrates how drugs are moved across the country, from California to a gas station on West 25th Street,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “It also exemplifies how drug traffickers use firearms to protect their millions of dollars in drug profits.”

“This group of individuals profited millions of dollars from transporting and selling oxycodone and marijuana in our community,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. “They drove fancy cars and utilized an expensive apartment in Chicago to store their illegal narcotics.  The FBI applauds the cooperative efforts by all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation.”

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the North Olmsted Police Department, the Westlake Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Westshore Enforcement Bureau. It is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Seabury Gould and Robert F. Corts.

An charge is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.