Police said they seized drugs, weapons, five vehicles and $380,000 in cash during a recent search at four sites in Shelby Township.
By: Mary Beth Almond | Shelby-Utica News | Published November 20, 2025
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Three men were arrested after multiple law enforcement agencies reportedly seized drugs, firearms, vehicles and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash during a raid of four sites in Shelby Township Nov. 6.
According to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, at least six local, county and federal agencies partnered to execute search warrants at three homes and a medical business, all in Shelby Township. The search warrants were in connection with an investigation by the Sheriff’s Enforcement Team.
During the search, the Sheriff’s Office said, law enforcement officers uncovered approximately 1,500 pounds of marijuana; hundreds of THC vapes, gummies, pens and other edibles; three handguns; two AR-style rifles; about $380,000 in cash; “small amounts” of crack cocaine; ketamine and mushrooms; and five vehicles. The vehicles seized included two Lincoln Navigators, a Cadillac Escalade, a Kia SUV, a Jeep Cherokee and a Ram van.
Three men — identified as Mark Gojcaj, 21; Fabio Asmar, 30; and Martino Abed, 35, all residents of Shelby Township — were arrested for allegedly “operating entirely outside the state’s regulated market, distributing large quantities of untested products through the black market,” according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
“This was a sophisticated, multi-state trafficking network with bulk quantities being sold, sometimes between 6 and 150 pounds at a time, almost exclusively to out-of-state buyers,” Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said in a prepared statement.
Each suspect was charged with one count of delivery and manufacture of 45 kilograms of marijuana, one count of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture 45 kilograms of marijuana and one count of maintaining a drug house. They all received a $100,000 cash or surety bond at their arraignments Nov. 7 in 41A District Court.
Wickersham said illegal drug activity threatens and endangers public safety, frequently leading to violent crimes such as armed robberies and home invasions.
“We will continue to work to eliminate these large-scale drug trafficking operations from our communities,” he said.
Gojcaj’s attorney, Avis Hany Choulagh, declined to comment. Asmar’s attorney, Michael J. Kemnitz, and Abed’s attorney, Peter A. Torrice, could not be reached for comment at press time. A probable cause conference was scheduled for Jan. 20 for each of the men.