Estero marijuana bust ends with two arrests, LCSO says

Two men suspected of selling marijuana were arrested in Estero on Thursday after a Lee County Sheriff's Office investigation, the agency announced Friday on its Facebook page.

Abraha Teddy Tesfazghi-Simmons, 21, and Mark Robert Salem, 22, were identified as top-level suppliers within a group monitored by the Sheriff's Office narcotics unit, according to the announcement.

Tesfazghi-Simmons is charged with Sale of Marijuana and Possession of Marijuana. Salem is charged with two counts of Possession of Marijuana With Intent to Sell.

The group is accused of selling large amounts of marijuana in Estero, the Sheriff's Office said. 

According to the law enforcement agency, a search of a resident netted:

• 10,272 grams (more than 20 pounds) of marijuana 
• 80 THC resin cartridges
• $106,253.00 U.S. currency, which was seized for forfeiture

Tesfazghi-Simmons, whose last known address is on Kingbird Loop in Osprey Cove, posted his $5,000 bond and was released today, according to arrest records available online. He has a trial date scheduled for Nov. 27.

Salem, whose last known address is on Roundstone Circle in Timberwalk, also posted his $5,000 bond today, according to the same online arrest records. He, too, has a Nov. 27 trial date.