2 Queens Men Accused Of Large-Scale Synthetic Cannabinoids Scheme

QUEENS, NYC — Two men from Queens are facing charges for a large-scale distribution of synthetic cannabinoids online, according to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Victor Almonte, 42, and Michael Esposito, 29, are both accused of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute synthetic cannabinoids and to distribute controlled substances using the internet.

The two men continued to distribute synthetic cannabinoids even after four co-conspirators were arrested, prosecutors said.

“Trafficking of synthetic cannabinoids – sometimes called K2 or Spice – poses a serious threat to public health and safety. Packaged attractively to appeal to teenagers and young adults, synthetic cannabinoids are in reality toxic concoctions that can be very dangerous to consume," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "As alleged, the defendants used websites they operated to distribute massive quantities of synthetic cannabinoids throughout the United States. Thanks to our law enforcement partners, the defendants have been arrested and their dangerous business has been dismantled.”

According to the indictment, from Feb. 2019 until May 2021, Niaz Khan, Noel Sanabria, Andre Gomes, Patrick Patterson, Victor Almonte and Michael Esposito operated a scheme to distribute massive quantities of smokeable synthetic cannabinoids (SSC), colloquially referred to as “K2” or “Spice,” containing controlled substances and/or a controlled substance analogue, throughout the United States.

Authorities said the men sold SSC through at least four different websites that they operated, namely K2HerbStore.com, HerbalPlug.com, LegalAromaTherapy.com, and LegalHerbalSmack.com (collectively, the “Websites”).

The SSC the men sold through the websites included dried, shredded plant material onto which synthetic cannabinoid chemicals had been sprayed. The SSC distributed by the scheme was branded with colorful graphics and distinctive names, including “Train Wrecked,” “Scooby Snax Kush,” “Bizarro,” “AK 47,” “Hi5 Triple X,” “Evil Santa,” “Krazy Turkey,” “Sexy Monkey,” “W.T.F.,” and “COVID-19 Coronavirus Limited Edition," authorities said.

To conceal their criminal activity and advertise their illegal products, authorities said the men used names for certain of the websites that falsely represented that their SSC products were “legal.”

According to authorities, defendants also sometimes misleadingly described their SSC products publicly as “not for human consumption,” “potpourri,” “herbal incense,” and “legal aroma therapy,” when, in fact, the defendants intended that the SSC would be consumed by drug users and they knew that their conduct was unlawful.

On May 20, 2021, Khan, Sanabria, Gomes, and Patterson were arrested in connection with the charges contained in the indictment. Despite those arrests and the unsealing of the indictment, authorities said Almonte and Esposito continued to perpetrate the SSC distribution scheme until Dec. 2021.

Over the course of the scheme, authorities said the men shipped thousands of packages of SSC through the United States mail from the Bronx, New York, to customers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, which contained a total of hundreds of kilograms of SSC. The defendants earned more than approximately $1 million from their illegal marketing and sale of SSC during the course of the scheme.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca T. Dell and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.