A 34-year-old man who owns a nightclub and cafe in Adams Morgan was indicted on federal drug trafficking charges shortly after being arrested outside an apartment building in Northeast D.C. Aman Weldemariam is accused of trafficking nearly eight pounds of methamphetamine over the course of two months this summer, with officers allegedly turning up additional suspected narcotics on him at the time of his arrest.
According to WJLA, Weldemariam owns Green Island Cafe and Club Heaven and Hell, both located in Adams Morgan. The U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. accused him of trafficking nearly eight pounds of meth in July and August, the station reported. Authorities say he distributed 500 grams of methamphetamine in a sale on July 16 and again on Aug. 3, though officials did not provide further details on either transaction.
A two-count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court charges Aman Mehari Weldemariam, 34, of the District of Columbia, with two counts of unlawful distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
What Was Allegedly Found During the Arrest
Weldemariam reportedly had a kilogram of what's being described as suspected cocaine powder on him at the time of his arrest, per the station's report. Federal attorneys also claimed officers found more than 300 Suboxone strips at his home and businesses, though that finding has not been independently corroborated beyond their claim.
The station's report notes that Weldemariam is being held in federal custody until a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday. No outcome of that hearing had been reported at the time of this writing, and there's been no public response yet from Weldemariam or his attorney.
A History of Prior Drug Convictions
Prosecutors said Weldemariam was on probation for a 2017 drug-related conviction out of Fairfax County at the time of his arrest, the same account indicates. He also had a similar conviction in Richmond County in 2020, according to prosecutors cited in the report.
Weldemariam's name has surfaced in Adams Morgan nightlife coverage before. Washington City Paper reported that Green Island Cafe shares an address with Club Heaven and Hell, and that Weldemariam said Columbia Station's live music operations moved over to Green Island after Columbia Station closed, telling the outlet, “Everything moved to Green Island.”
The case adds to a string of federal methamphetamine prosecutions tied to the Washington region in recent years. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement noted that six men pleaded guilty in 2024 to federal charges of conspiring to sell large quantities of crystal methamphetamine in the Washington, D.C. area, though that case is unrelated to Weldemariam's and involved different defendants.
