Nearly 1,000 pounds of marijuana seized in Shelby Township drug investigation
Nearly 1,000 pounds of black-market marijuana were among the items seized as police in Shelby Township, Michigan, handled one of the largest drug smuggling investigations in their community's history.
The Shelby Township Police Department's Tactical Response Unit, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, served a search warrant March 13 at a home in the Macomb County community.
That search warrant resulted from the Shelby Township Police Department's Special Investigations Unit following up on information about a multi-state, black-market smuggling operating out of a local home, the police report said. Detectives worked on the case for several weeks, to include surveillance of the house.
When the search warrant was served, officers seized the following items:
- 964 pounds of black-market marijuana.
- 83 pounds of marijuana edibles.
- 20,300 marijuana vape cartridges.
- 15 firearms.
- About 90 pounds of ammunition.
- $27,364 in cash.
The 964 pounds of marijuana represents what the department said was its second-largest seizure of illegal drugs in the police agency's 72-year history.
The investigation led to the arrest of Joseph Zouhair Foumia, 51, of Shelby Township. He was arraigned Monday in 41-A District Court in Shelby Township on one weapons charge and four drug-related charges including maintaining a drug house.
Bond was set at $100,000, court records show. A probable cause conference is scheduled for March 30; the preliminary exam is set for April 6.
"This bust is about more than just taking drugs off the streets — it's about protecting families and giving our neighborhoods a chance to thrive," Shelby Township Police Chief Robert J. Shelide said. "This operation removed a major supply of illicit drugs from our streets and disrupted the people responsible for distributing them."
