Feds Charge 3 Over Synthetic Weed At Chicago Mini Mart

CHICAGO — The owner of a West Side convenience store and two of his employees were arrested Sunday and accused of selling synthetic marijuana, according to federal prosecutors. Last week, undercover Chicago cops made multiple purchases of the drug, known as "K2" or "Spice," from King Mini Mart at 1303 South Kedzie Avenue in the North Lawndale neighborhood before seizing a large amount, according to probable cause complaint filed by a Drug Enforcement Agency task force officer. The substance has been linked to severe bleeding and at least one death over the past month in Illinois.

Fouad Masoud, 48, and Jamil Abdelrahman Jad Allah, 44, of Justice, and a Chicago man, 48-year-old Adil Khan Muhammed, face federal drug conspiracy charges, according to the Department of Justice. Masoud, the owner of the convenience store, was allegedly found with $280,000 in a paper grocery bag, 2,900 grams of suspected synthetic cannabinoids.

Multiple people recently experienced unusual bleeding and other adverse symptoms after using synthetic cannabinoids purchased from King Mart, according to a March 26 tip from Illinois State Police to Chicago cops cited in the complaint. Some ended up in the hospital.

Undercover agents bought various brands of of the drugs from the store on March 26 and 27, according to the complaint. After the second purchase, vice squad investigators ran a license check of the store and found two brands of suspected synthetic marijuana.

A further search turned up more brands of the drug inside a bucket in the back of the store with names like "Crazy Monkey," "Matrix," "Blue Giant" and "Insane," the complaint alleges. Cops seized nearly 2 kilograms of the drug and shut down the store for licence violations.

Chicago police issued citations for selling synthetic marijuana, unstamped cigarettes, outdated merchandise and possession of illegal fireworks, according to the complaint.

Law enforcement agents arrested Jad Allah and Mohammed at his house on the afternoon of April 1 after testing the drugs. According to the complaint, they each told cops the store sold about between 50 to 80 packages of synthetic weed every day for $10 to $20 each.

People began to complain about the quality of the substance over the past several weeks, Mohammed allegedly told investigators.

EARLIER: 'Spice' Shop Shut Down By Chicago Cops

Since March 7 in Illinois, one person has died and 38 people have been hospitalized after consuming the substance.

Several people have tested positive for brodifacoum, a lethal anticoagulant often used as in rat poison, according to state public health officials. Preliminary testing of the synthetic marijuana found at King Mart shows the same substance.

The drugs are produced using various toxic psychoactive chemicals dissolved in a solvent like acetone and then applied to plant material to mimic the effect of marijuana, according to the DEA task force officer who signed the complaint.

The specific banned substance for which the three employees at King Mart were charged, known as AMB-FUBINACA, was originally patented by Pfizer in 2009 but never tested on humans. It reportedly produces a "zombie-like" effect in users and has been tied to up to 20 deaths last year in New Zealand. The DEA declared it a controlled substance last November on an emergency basis.

Masoud appeared in court on an initial appearance Monday and was ordered held ahead of a Thursday detention hearing. Jad Allah and Mohammed are due in court Tuesday. Each man faces charges of conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, a controlled substance, according to the feds. The three men face maximum sentences of 20 years in prison if convicted.

MORE: 1 Dead, 3 Cases Of Rat Poison In Synthetic Weed: Health Officials