Issa Haig Babikyan, Conspiracy, Utah 2024

Utah 8 Charged in Synthetic Cannabinoid Conspiracy

A federal indictment unsealed Thursday afternoon charges eight individuals with conspiracy to distribute XLR-11, a synthetic cannabinoid commonly known as spice; possession of spice with intent to distribute; and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment was returned by a grand jury Wednesday afternoon and charges Issa Haig Babikyan, 51, of Carlsbad, Calif.; Michael Suliman Haig Babikyan, 25, of Murray; Fahad Ali Khalil, 24, of Murray; Ammar Ibrahim Alobaidi, 35, of Midvale; Yaser Saeed Majeed Al-Najjar, 46, of Murray; Joseph Lara Paez, 39, of Fresno, Calif.; Tiffany Nicole Velo, 32, of Fresno; and Hanan Saeed, 43, of Salt Lake City.

The case is being investigated by two FBI task forces, the Safe Streets Task Force and the Wasatch Range Task Force. Member agencies involved in the task forces are the FBI, Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy City police departments; the Utah Highway Patrol, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Utah Department of Corrections; and the Unified Police Department.

The indictment charges seven defendants with conspiracy to distribute spice from at least Jan. 31, 2015, through April 29, 2015. Counts two through nine charge various defendants in the case with possession of spice with intent to distribute. Count 10 of the indictment charges Khalil and Saeed with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Spice is a mixture of herbs and spices that is typically sprayed with a synthetic compound similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredients in marijuana, according to a DEA Drug Fact Sheet. However, spice is commonly more potent than organic marijuana and the dose can be irregular due to a lack of quality control in the manufacturing process.

Issa Haig Babikyan and Michael Suliman Haig Babikyan were arrested Thursday in California and had initial appearances in federal court. Khalil, Alobaidi, Al-Najjar, Velo and Saeed were arrested in Utah and will have initial appearances Friday at 1 p.m. in U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke C. Wells’ courtroom. Paez remains a fugitive in California.

The potential maximum penalty for each of the nine drug counts alleged in the indictment is 20 years and a $1 million fine. Conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a potential 20 year prison sentence. The fine for the money laundering count is up to $500,000 or two times the dollar amount of the property involved in the alleged money laundering transaction.

Approximately 2,000 pounds of spice were seized during a two-month period of the investigation. Several firearms, vehicles, and cash were also seized during the execution of the arrest warrants Thursday.

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