In July 2014 vegasdesi.com reported Reno resident Iqbal Singh Sidhu was charged with eighteen counts of drug-related crimes involving the sale or possession for sale of synthetic marijuana, also known as “spice”.

These counts also included two counts of maintaining drug premises related to the sales.  However, the jury did not found Mr. Sidhu guilty of maintaining premises to sell “Spice.”  Mr. Sidhu also sold “Diablo”, a synthetic marijuana from his store in Reno, NV.  He also discussed, with an undercover drug enforcement agent, the other products – “White Rhino” and “Hayze.”  Sidhu admitted to the undercover agent that one of his customers is spending $2,000 per month on these products.  He also stated that he would be getting a new synthetic marijuana product known as “Dragon,” in stock very soon.

Last month, Iqbal Sidhu, 37, filed a motion in the federal court asking for relief from the conviction and the sentencing.  Mr. Sidhu is asking to be released from the federal custody and is challenging his conviction.

Sidhu was convicted in June 2014 and was sentenced to 108 months in a federal prison and 3 years of supervised release for a distribution of controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance analogue and maintaining a drug-involved premises.

Earlier Mr. Sidhu appealed to the US Courts of Appeals for Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.  The appeal court affirmed convictions to all counts.  In the filed motion, Mr. Sidhu is claiming ineffective assistance of trial counsel.  He has alleged that the trial counsel was unprepared for the trial and failed to properly investigate the facts of the case.  Counsel made no independent investigation of the facts of the case and failed to utilize an expert to attack the Government’s claim regarding the analogue substances.  Continuing the ineffective assistance argument, Mr. Sidhu claims that the trial counsel failed to call any witnesses in support of the defense and failed to properly cross-examine the Government’s witnesses.

Additional issues in support of the latest petition include that trial counsel failed to move the exclusion of certain evidence related to prior bad acts by Mr. Sidhu, along with a failure by trial counsel to utilize an interpreter during pre-trial proceedings & during attorney and client meetings.  Additionally, Mr. Sidhu is claiming that the trial counsel had no understanding of federal trial procedures.

Previously, Sidhu also unlawfully maintained the business of Grab n Go Food n Liquors for the purpose of distributing controlled substances, and analogues.  Earlier Iqbal was arrested for battery with intent to commit sexual assault on a teenage girl, 2 counts of open and gross lewdness, and selling alcohol to a minor.

Currently, Mr. Sidhu is incarcerated in a federal prison at Big Springs, Texas and scheduled to be released in April 2020.

Prior news on Iqbal Sidhu…

http://www.vegasdesi.com/2014/07/12/nine-years-in-prison-for-iqbal-singh-sidhu/