6 Madison residents charged in marijuana conspiracy plan

Six Madison residents and an unidentified fugitive have been charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana in the Madison area, according to a release.

Enis Gashi, 21, Haris Riza, 22, Kevin Ha, 23, Joseph Ramsey, 20, Yotam Israeli, 22, Parvis Samazada, 22, and an unidentified fugitive were charged in an indictment returned on April 23 by a federal grand jury.

The defendants allegedly arranged to buy, transport and distribute as many as 19 loads of marijuana, ranging in quantity from five to 50 pounds, from the West Coast to Madison from September 2012 to February 2015, according to the release.

The indictment alleges that the amount of marijuana associated with Gashi’s actions is 100 kilograms or more.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, Gashi and Riza have been charged with attempting to possess marijuana with intent to distribute between Feb. 26 and March 6, 2014, according to the release. Gashi, Riza, Israeli and Samazada are charged with attempting to process marijuana with intent to distribute on June 4, 2014.

If convicted, Gashi faces at least five years and up to 40 years in federal prison. The other defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.