ORLANDO, Fla. - Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, and A. Lee Bentley, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Harmeet (39, Windermere); Cean Al (33, Palm Harbor); and Michael (49, Tampa) with conspiring to distribute, and distributing, controlled substance analogue AM2201. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison.
The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit a money judgment of $13,145,032.65, representing the proceeds of the offenses, the contents of four bank accounts, which contain proceeds of, and helped to facilitate, the offenses, and two residences purchased with proceeds of the offenses.
According to the indictment, Singh, Al Najjar, and Petrucci allegedly conspired to distribute, and distributed a controlled substance analogue called AM2201 from at least March 1, 2011 until at least March 23, 2012, earning millions of dollars in the process.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA, the United States Marshals Service, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Altamonte Springs Police Department. It will be prosecuted by United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
This investigation is a part of Project Synergy II, an ongoing effort to target every level of the dangerous global synthetic designer drug market. While many of the designer drugs being marketed today that were seized as part of Project Synergy are not specifically prohibited in the Controlled Substances (CSA), the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of (CSAEA) allows many of these drugs to be treated as controlled substances if they are proven to be chemically and/or pharmacologically similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance.
