An Old Westbury man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with four felony counts for possessing more than 358 pounds of marijuana for the largest marijuana seizure in Nassau County history, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.
Micah Raskin, 49, was arraigned Wednesday by Judge William Hohauser for first- and second-degree criminal possession of marijuana, fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance as well as third and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
If convicted if the top counts, he faces up to eight years in prison.
Raskin’s bail was set at $225,000 bond or $150,000 cash, and he is due back in court Friday.
“With this seizure of more than 350 pounds of marijuana and huge quantities of hash oils, this alleged dealer’s time living the high life selling drugs is over,” Singas said. “Our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal level continue to dismantle drug trafficking networks at every level, and I commend this outstanding team on yet another successful bust.”
Singas said in a release that the arrest on Tuesday was the result of a multi-jurisdictional investigation into large-scale trafficking from Old Westbury to Baltimore, Maryland of both marijuana and hash oil.
(Photo courtesy of Nassau County District Attorney)
Singas said during the investigation, which began in November, Raskin was identified as a supplier of large amounts in the Baltimore area, receiving the shipments on Long Island before a messenger delivered them to customers in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Virginia and New York for $1,400 per pound.
“Raskin is alleged to have trafficked hundreds of pounds of marijuana across state lines, creating a lucrative business over the years,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New York. “As [Homeland Security Investigations] continues to share information between offices and with its law enforcement partners, we will continue to arrest drug traffickers like Raskin.”
Nassau County police officers and the Long Island Homeland Security Investigations Task Force executed search warrants at Raskin’s Old Westbury home and Garden City storage locker.
Singas said more than 358 pounds of marijuana, has oils containing concentrated doses of THC, drug paraphernalia and packaging materials were seized from the properties.
The marijuana has an estimated street value of more than $500,000 and the oils are estimated to be worth between $170,000 and $340,000.
Officers also seized a loaded shotgun, a Taser, a Land Rover Range Rover, a Chevrolet Corvette, $140,000 in cash and paperwork documenting payments and prices for the marijuana and hash oils.
“The arrest of defendant Micah Raskin is a clear example of a collaborative multi-jurisdictional law enforcement investigation which is taking a dangerous individual and the drugs that he was dealing off the streets,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. “Defendant Raskin was supplying large amounts of marijuana to our residents, thus placing them at risk. This illegal behavior is unacceptable as we continue to fight to keep our residents and communities safe.”
