Yemenis accused for selling drugs in Mississippi [Archives:2007/1019/Local News]
TUPELO, Jan 24 ) (AP) A federal court hearing is scheduled this week for at least a dozen men from Yemen who are nationally accused of selling drugs used in the making of crystal methamphetamine and of trafficking in black-market cigarettes.
The men were indicted last summer but authorities kept the indictments sealed until Monday to ensure that all 12, most of whom live in north Mississippi, were in the country, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.
According to a motion to seal the indictments issued in August, two of the men left the U.S. in July 2006, and were traced as far as Frankfurt, Germany. The motion said the exact final destination of the two was unknown.
U.S. attorneys would not answer specific questions about where the money trail leads.
However, the indictment includes a request that upon conviction of at least one controlled substances offense, the defendants should surrender the money or property from the violation, even if it has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court or commingled with other funds.
Altaf Anwer Ali Kanani, a Yemeni, and Lemlem Ghebre, a Eritrean, were to appear in federal court in Oxford this week for a bond hearing. According to court documents, Kanani lives in Duluth, Ga., and Ghebre in Stone Mountain, Ga.
The indictments allege the two sold 7,548 dosage units of ephedrine from Christy's Travel Center in Hickory Flat from October through December. Ephedrine is a stimulant used in great quantities to manufacture methamphetamine.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, or both. They also face up to three years' supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
The newspaper said the other defendants, also originally from Yemeni, face a 39-count indictment that alleges narcotics sale, conspiracy and food stamp violations. They are expected to appear for bond hearings today in federal court in Aberdeen.
Attorney Rob Lahr, appointed to represent Ahmed, said Monday he had yet to meet with his client and that he didn't know anything about the case.
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