Chicago Man Sentenced on Drug Charges

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Salah Mohamed Ahmed, 37, of Chicago, Illinois, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.

Defendants Abdulfatah Mosed, Mohamed Taher, Basheer Saleh, Yasin Abdulla, and Bradley Parry were previously convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that between late 2005 and May 2007, Mohamed Taher operated a criminal enterprise that employed five or more individuals including the defendant. The enterprise imported marijuana into the United States from Canada and then distributed the marijuana to customers in Detroit, Chicago, and Buffalo. Salah Mohamed Ahmed assisted Taher by distributing quantities of marijuana in the city of Chicago.

Taher was convicted of the charges following a four-week jury trial before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. Defendant Kaleel Albanna was acquitted of similar charges.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction Randy Howe, Acting Director of Field Operations; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Michael Cerretto; the Michigan State Police; and the Willoughby Hills, Ohio Police Department.