Madison Man Sentenced For Marijuana Conspiracy
MADISON, Wis. - John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Haris Riza, 22, Madison, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William Conley to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiring with others to distribute marijuana in the Madison area. Riza pleaded guilty to this charge on October 9, 2015.
From September 2012 to February 2015, Riza and six other co-defendants arranged the purchase, transportation and distribution of as many as 19 loads of marijuana from California and Colorado to Madison. These loads ranged in quantity from five to 50 pounds. Drivers were sent to the West Coast with tens of thousands of dollars to make contact with a supplier and would return with up to 50 pounds of marijuana at a time.
The marijuana loads were then divided among the “investors” who had provided money for the purchase of the supply. These persons then sold the marijuana in Madison for a substantial profit.
Judge Conley found that for sentencing purposes, Riza’s involvement in the conspiracy was aggravated by his managerial role, which involved collecting funds from investors, directing activity of drivers, and distributing portions of the load of marijuana to the various investors once it arrived. He further found that Riza’s conduct could be tied to more than 100 kilograms of the marijuana.
The other six defendants, Enis Gashi, 21; Amadou Camara, 23; Kevin Ha, 23; Joseph Ramsey, 20; Yotam Israeli, 22; and Parvis Samazada, 22, have entered guilty pleas for their roles in this conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced over the next month.
The charge against Haris Riza was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration; Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation; and Dane County Narcotics Task Force. The prosecution of this case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
