Poker pro faces federal charges in Maryland over marijuana scheme

A once up-and-coming poker player from New York has fallen. Micah Raskin was arrested this past February after he was busted with 358 pounds of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Now, he faces other charges related to the bust, but on a federal level.

When police raided two locations tied to Raskin on Long Island in February, they found an extensive drug operation being led by the 50-year-old. It was billed as the largest drug bust in the history of New York State’s Nassau County and resulted in Raskin facing four felony charges for criminal possession of marijuana in the first degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, among other charges.

Following an extensive investigation, detectives have now linked him to an interstate marijuana ring that saw large amounts of marijuana being sent to Maryland. Since marijuana is illegal on the federal level in the U.S., transporting the drug across state borders makes it a federal offense.

During the raid, police seized $140,000 in cash, vehicles, over $100,000 in artwork, a shotgun and a Taser. He was slapped with a misdemeanor charge for the firearms. Police also managed to get their hands on his directory of customers and the prices that were being paid, which more than likely put a number of individuals on edge as they waited for a knock on their doors from law enforcement.