Man sentenced for failing to keep records

SHARON, Pa. -- Fadi Zahran of Boardman, who pleaded guilty in April to a charge of violating federal drug laws, has been sentenced to two years' probation and fined $2,500.
The sentence was handed down Thursday by U.S. District Judge William L. Standish in Pittsburgh.
Zahran, 39, of Angiline Drive, was accused of failing to keep records of certain chemicals sold from his business, including a drug that can be used to make methamphetamine, says the U.S. Attorney's office.
Court records say Zahran, as the owner and operator of Maxx II Inc. at 910 N. Robertson Road, Hermitage, was registered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in March 1999 to distribute certain chemicals. Maxx II is a wholesale food and chemical products distribution business.
Zahran was required to keep records regarding the distribution of those chemicals but, between October 1999 and February 2000, he failed to keep such records regarding millions of capsules containing pseudoephedrine, a legal but controlled drug used in various cold and flu medications.
The drug also is used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine, a powerful central nervous system stimulant with street names such as crank, meth and speed.
As part of his guilty plea, Zahran was required to give up his DEA registration and is no longer allowed to buy and sell controlled chemicals.