MOBILE, AL (TIP): An Indian American, who has admitted to being involved in the distribution of spice, was sentenced Dec. 8 to 48 months in prison. Harshadbhai Patel of Mobile was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. Patel pleaded guilty in May to a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a scheduled 1 controlled substance.
Mobile County deputies and Homeland Security investigators seized $95,000 and 7,000 packets of spice during an investigation into a business owner who was charged on Oct. 23, 2013, with trafficking the substance. (Photos/ courtesy Mobile County Sheriff’s Office)
According to court orders, the 39- year-old Patel has been also ordered to forfeit a 2014 Porsche Cayenne and more than $338,000 to the federal government, AOL News reported. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office arrested Patel during a traffic stop on Oct. 22, 2013. Fifty bags of spice and $95,543 were found in Patel’s Porsche. After Patel’s arrest, officers searched Patel’s Mobile apartment and his convenience store and apartment in Pensacola, Fla. The search included the confiscation of 3,805 packets of spice, according to the records, the report said. The sport utility vehicle and the money were seized during the investigation. The forfeited money includes the $95,543 that was found in Patel’s sport utility vehicle, a $5,000 casino chip and $237,699.53 from Patel’s bank account.