A 38-year-old man from Sugar Land has been sentenced to a total of 262 months in federal prison on charges related to synthetic narcotics, as made public by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Naveed Rasheed Shike, who had earlier pleaded guilty on April 2, received 208 months for the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a synthetic cannabinoid, and an added 54 months for failure to appear in court, as the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas reported.
During the sentencing hearing conducted by U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey, testimonies highlighted the severely adverse effects of synthetic cannabinoids and their danger to the community, simultaneously acknowledging the large-scale nature of the drug operation helmed by Shike, his sentence is also inclusive of a supervised release period of three years following his jail term. On Sept. 19, 2016, a traffic stop on a vehicle driving south of Victoria on U.S. Highway 77, which resulted in the discovery of over 1,400 packages of synthetic cannabinoids meant for delivery; Shike confessed to their distribution plans toward individuals in Corpus Christi and also to an established pattern of such dealings, as evidenced by the ledger found at the scene.
After initially being released on bond, Shike failed to appear before Judge Rainey on Oct. 2, 2019, fleeing to Karachi, Pakistan, and consequently triggering an arrest warrant being a fugitive for over four years he was apprehended on Jan. 24, 2024, in Sullivan City as part of Operation Lone Star following a high-speed vehicle pursuit according to law enforcement, laboratory analysis identified the substance as FUB-AMB, a synthetic cannabinoid considered a controlled substance under the Controlled Substance Analog Enforcement Act.
Described as chemical compounds that mimic THC, synthetic cannabinoids are potentially dangerous and, when applied to plant material, are typically smoked or ingested, selling under names such as Kush, Spice, K2, and many others, the accomplice identified as Henry Martinez, age 48 from Rosenberg received a 24-month imprisonment followed by a two-year supervised release, whereas Shike is currently awaiting transfer to a federal prison for the commencement of his sentence, having been prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt with the assistance from several law enforcement agencies.
