Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Bakersfield Drug Dealer 'Magic Mike' Gets 33 Months in Prison
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 4 years ago on
June 16, 2020

Share

The Bakersfield internet synthetic marijuana dealer known as “Magic Mike” received a sentence of 33 months in prison Monday, federal authorities said.

Majed Bashir Akroush, 52, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to structure over $700,000 in cash withdrawals from four different bank accounts associated with his internet businesses.

Property, Cash, 1962 Impala Seized

According to court documents, Akroush structured cash withdrawals over a three-year period in amounts just under $10,000 in order to evade the currency transaction report filing requirements. In addition to imposing a prison sentence, the court fined the defendant $7,500 and ordered the forfeiture of the following assets by Akroush:

  • property in Bakersfield;
  • $109,555 seized from five different bank accounts;
  • $199,181 in cash seized from a safe in his residence;
  • $233,460 in cash seized from two safe deposit boxes;
  • and a 1962 Chevrolet Impala worth $200,000.

Synthetic Products Contained Illegal Drugs

Court documents stated that during the time of the structured cash withdrawals, Akroush operated several internet businesses: Magic Man’s Wholesale, Blue Whale Wholesale, World of Incense, and Blue Bear. These businesses distributed synthetic marijuana to convenience stores, smoke shops, and other customers throughout the country.

Federal agents successfully seized and shut down these websites and forfeited the domain names.

Although marketed as a legal alternative to marijuana, the products contained illegal drugs that have much more harmful effects than marijuana. Akroush structured the proceeds derived from synthetic drug sales as a means of concealing the illegal nature of his businesses.

The Investigators

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Highway Patrol. Assisting in the investigation were the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the state Department of Motor Vehicles, Kern County Probation, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and Bakersfield Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen A. Escobar and Henry Z. Carbajal III are prosecuting the case.

DON'T MISS

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

DON'T MISS

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

DON'T MISS

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

UP NEXT

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

UP NEXT

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

UP NEXT

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

UP NEXT

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

UP NEXT

Big Spenders: These Companies Are Giving the Most to California Legislative Candidates

UP NEXT

Fresno State Bulldogs Stumble in Fourth Quarter, Suffer Narrow Loss to Hawai’i

UP NEXT

Challengers Seek Seats on Tulare County Irrigation District Boards

UP NEXT

Shy Pup Finds Hope with Foster Family, Evasion from Euthanasia

UP NEXT

Immediate Threat: Mussel Invades California’s Delta, First Time in North America

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

12 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

12 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

12 hours ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

12 hours ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

13 hours ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

13 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

13 hours ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

14 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

14 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

14 hours ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

A driver suspected of being under the influence crashed into a California Highway Patrol car early Sunday, officials said. Officers were inv...

9 hours ago

A driver suspected of DUI crashed into a parked California Highway Patrol car at a fatal crash scene in Fresno County, sustaining minor injuries and later being cited. (Fresno County SO)
9 hours ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

fresno
10 hours ago

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

10 hours ago

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP/Ashley Landis)
12 hours ago

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
12 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

12 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

12 hours ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

13 hours ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

Search

Send this to a friend