[1][3] The role of Chaldean organized crime groups in the drug trade involves the transportation and distribution of large quantities of marijuana, cocaine and MDMA.
Chaldean mafia-owned gas stations and convenience stores throughout the Detroit area are used to launder illicit proceeds from the drug trade.
Akrawi headed a crime syndicate which operated drug dealing, illegal gambling, and extortion rackets, using his restaurant, LA Ribs & Chicken, as a front.
Since Iraq did not accept deportees from the United States that had no travel documents, the Michigan Department of Corrections revoked Akrawi's parole and returned him to prison.
The work of the Detroit Metropolitan Violent Crime Task Force—with representatives from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police Department, and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office—resulted in the conviction of 111 subjects and the seizure of $5.3 million, 6.5 tons of marijuana, 25 kilograms of cocaine, five pounds of crystal methamphetamine, and 78 firearms.
SWAT teams served search warrants on the club late Wednesday night, seizing more than $160,000 in cash as well as evidence of illegal gambling.