5 added to federal drug indictment

Five people were added to a 39-count indictment for allegedly distributing 220 pounds of marijuana and 345 pills of oxycodone in Northeast Ohio, according to the U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman’s Office.

The federal charges were filed against Jaber Hammouda, 33, of North Olmsted, Amran Jabir, 30, of Chicago; Ahmad Abukhalil, 37, of Lakewood; Mohamed Mansour, 27, of Olmsted Falls, and Alaa Hassan, 23, of Westlake.

They were added to the federal indictment charging Amer Jabir, 37; Ahmad Jabir, 22; Aymen Abdelrahim, 28, and Gerald Knox, 37, all of Cleveland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 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, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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.

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

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 federal 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 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.”

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.

The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Seabury Gould and Robert F. Corts.

“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