A statewide crusade against synthetic marijuana has come to Southwest Minneapolis
A New Brighton man has been charged with selling K2, a form of synthetic marijuana, from a tobacco store in the Tangletown neighborhood.
Mokrane Rahim, 30, is charged with fourth-degree synthetic drug sales, a felony with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of a $30,000 fine.
Minneapolis police executed a search warrant at 46th and Nicollet Tobacco at about 11 a.m. Nov. 21 after previously conducting undercover buys of K2 from Rahim at the store, according to the criminal complaint, signed by Minneapolis Police Officer Benjamin Henrich.
During the undercover visits, an officer entered the store, asked for the “big pack” and handed the cashier $40. In return, the officer received a pre-packaged substance from a container marked “420 Cubed.”
Police found Rahim tending the counter when they arrived to execute the search warrant. They also found numerous pre-packaged quantities of K2 and 420, according to the complaint.
Officers also found “numerous thousands of dollars” in cash from a variety of locations throughout the store, the complaint charges.
Another search warrant was executed at Rahim’s New Brighton home, where they found another 80 pounds of the synthetic substance, along with $200,000 in a suitcase, according to the complaint.
In June, a man in Waco, Texas, was arrested after police say he killed and began to eat his family’s dog while high on K2. Studies have suggested that the use of synthetic marijuana is associated with psychosis and can exacerbate existing psychotic disorders. In Minnesota, state and local law enforcement agencies have increased enforcement efforts against K2 and similar substances in recent years.
Rahim has been released from custody on a $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charge Nov. 27 in Hennepin County District Court.
