NY Pro Micah Raskin to Face Federal Felony Marijuana-Trafficking Charge
New York-based poker pro Micah Raskin will face a federal felony count of marijuana trafficking in Maryland, added to the several Nassau County (New York’s Long Island) charges he is facing after a large-scale bust in February. Raskin was charged in the US District Court for the District of Maryland on October 1st, on a single count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Separately, a hearing on this new federal charge in Maryland was added to the case’s docket on October 12.
That some form of legal action emanating from Maryland would be brought against Raskin was a possibility since his arrest andd arraignment in New York in February. That followed a multi-jurisdictional investigation into what was described as one of the largest pot-related seizures in Nassau County (NY) history. From his New York base, Raskin is alleged to have shipped “huge” amounts of marijuana, THC-laced (tetrahydrocannabinol, one of the active cannabinoids in marijuana) oils, and assorted drug paraphernalia.
The new Maryland charge described Raskin as trafficking “huge” amounts of marijuana and hash oils into the Baltimore area, along with nearby Washington D.C. and neighboring Virginia, where Raskin may also face legal exposure. Authorities allege that he used several New York facilities as the bases for his trafficking, and often shipped large amounts of pot and oils via courier to the Baltimore and D.C. areas.
The Maryland charge filed on October 1st alleges Raskin distributed 100 kilograms or more of marijuana during a tight investigative window of January and early February of 2018, though the multi-jurisdictional investigation was known to have begun in November of 2017. Authorities in New York also seized shipping records indicating that Raskin had conducted the pot trafficking on the East Coast for several years. The “100 kilograms or more of marijuana” allegation could trigger a statutory five-year sentence for Raskin, if he’s convicted, according to this 2017 summary of federal mandatory minimum-sentence guidelines on various drug offenses, in addition to any monetary fines.
The New York arrest and arraignment in February offered up many of the central details of the the now-multiple cases against Raskin, a frequent poker-tourney player with just shy of $2 million in recorded cashes. According to a press release issued by the Nassau County (NY) DA’s office:
… a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the trafficking of large amounts of marijuana from Old Westbury to Baltimore, Maryland began in November 2017. During the investigation, the defendant, Micah Raskin was identified as a supplier of large amounts of marijuana and hash oils to the Baltimore area.
The defendant allegedly received drug shipments to locations on Long Island and stored them in his Old Westbury home and a Garden City storage facility before a courier delivered them to customers in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Virginia and New York, charging $1,400 for a pound of marijuana. It’s believed this alleged activity went on for a period of several years.
On February 6, members of the NCPD and the Long Island Homeland Security Investigations Task Force executed search warrants on the defendant’s Old Westbury home and Garden City storage locker. As a result of the search warrants, more than 358 pounds of marijuana, hash oils containing concentrated doses of THC, drug paraphernalia and packaging materials were seized. The marijuana has an estimated street value of more than $500,000, while the hash oils are estimated to be worth $170,000-$340,000.
Additionally, authorities seized a loaded shotgun, a Taser and paperwork documenting payments and prices for the drug products. Other items seized include a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover, a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette, $140,000 in monetary funds and high-end artwork believed to be worth more than $100,000.
Raskin was arrested on February 6 and arraigned in New York two days later, being charged with the following:
- Criminal Possession of Marijuana in the First Degree (a C felony)
- Criminal Possession of Marijuana in the Second Degree (a D felony)
- Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree (a D felony)
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (a D felony)
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree (an A misdemeanor)
Raskin faces up to eight years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines in New York in addition to the newly-filed Maryland legal difficulties. That New York investigation and arrest credited four separate enforcement agencies with presences in Maryland, including the Baltimore County Police Department, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (Baltimore division), and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, which has now filed this latest charge.
COMMENTS