Man opened car door and smell of pot wafted out toward deputies; now he’s going to prison
Published 7:07 am Friday, October 28, 2022
A Birmingham man was sentenced this week for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Randy Hasan Abdurrahim, 37, to 121 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. Abdurrahim pleaded guilty to the charge in June.
According to the plea agreement, on September 2, 2021, while two Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies on patrol were at a Shell gas station on East Lake Boulevard, a Lexus pulled up to the gas pump with the smell of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Deputies ran the tag, and it came back as belonging to a Nissan Altima. Abdurrahim, driving the Lexus, left the gas station and deputies attempted to perform a traffic stop, but he refused to stop. Abdurrahim hopped out of the Lexus and fled on foot as the vehicle rolled down the hill. Deputies pursued Abdurrahim on foot for a couple of blocks and took him into custody.
Deputies searched the vehicle and recovered 4 grams of cocaine, 9 grams of fentanyl, 6.16 grams of marijuana, 107 grams of methamphetamine, 2 grams of heroin, and drug paraphernalia.
The case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.