Skip to main content
Press Release

Plano Man Sentenced to Federal Prison in Synthetic Marijuana Case

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas

In San Antonio today, 52-year-old Irfan Abdul Ghaffar was sentenced to seven years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a synthetic marijuana distribution scheme announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division.

 

On January 4, 2017, Ghaffar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substance analogues. By pleading guilty, Ghaffar admitted that from March 2013 to June 2013, he managed the affairs of the Jaffer Drug Trafficking Organization (Jaffer DTO) in Dallas, including the illegal storage, distribution and sale of various kinds of synthetic cannabinoids. The San Antonio-based Jaffer DTO, led by Muhammad Jaffer Ali, was responsible for the production and distribution of synthetic marijuana and bath salts in San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and Dallas as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Kansas City. During the course of the enterprise, the Jaffer DTO manufactured, caused to be manufactured, attempted to manufacture, distributed and possessed with intent to distribute over 40,000 pounds (or 18,500 kilograms) of synthetic cannabinoids.

 

On December 12, 2016, Muhammad Jaffer Ali pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substance analogues. He is scheduled for sentencing in San Antonio on Tuesday at 4:00pm before Senior United States District Judge Royce C. Lamberth.

 

This prosecution resulted from the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration together with the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, Austin, San Antonio and New Braunfels Police Departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Williamson County Constables Office-Precinct 2, Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office, Live Oak Police Department and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations also assisted with today’s arrests. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Roomberg and Jay Hulings are prosecuting this case.

Updated March 24, 2017

Topic
Drug Trafficking