Man Sentenced For Cigarette Smuggling-transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hezbollah

clickondetroit.com ^

[chance33_98]

Man Sentenced For Cigarette Smuggling

Suspect Must Repay State More Than $2 Million

POSTED: 10:57 PM EST January 8, 2004 UPDATED: 11:06 PM EST January 8, 2004

DETROIT -- A Dearborn man convicted of taking part in a multi-state cigarette-smuggling ring was sentenced Thursday to 70 months in prison without the possibility of parole, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins said.

Elias Mohamad Akhdar, 31, pleaded guilty in July to a charge of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He could have received up to 78 months in prison for the crime under federal sentencing guidelines.

Akhdar also was ordered to repay $2,062,500 in lost tax revenue to the state of Michigan, Collins said in a written statement.

The government argued in court documents that Akhdar and Hassan M. Makki, 42, tried to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hezbollah.

Akhdar and Makki were among 11 suspects -- nine Detroit-area men and two women living on an Indian reservation in New York -- arrested after an indictment was unsealed Feb. 4.

All were charged with conspiracy to commit a pattern of racketeering activity, including contraband cigarette trafficking, possession of counterfeit cigarette tax stamps, credit card fraud, money laundering, arson and witness tampering.

Makki was sentenced in December to four years and nine months in prison, without the possibility of early release after pleading guilty to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and a racketeering conspiracy charge.

Makki acknowledged providing more than $2,000 to Hezbollah after it had been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.

The money was intended to support Hezbollah's "orphans of martyrs" program, which benefits families of those killed in Hezbollah operations or by Hezbollah's enemies, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Akhdar's attorney has denied that his client has ties to Hezbollah and the group has denied any link to both men.

The suspects allegedly bought low-tax cigarettes in North Carolina and untaxed cigarettes at the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York, then resold them at a substantial profit in Michigan, where tobacco taxes are vastly higher.

[CSM]

For the puff list.

The state was po'd at this guy for stealing from them. From one criminal to an entire criminal enterprise.

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[T.Smith]

And so we reap the benefits of sky-high cigarette taxes. Why should any of us be surprised that the WOT (War On Tobacco) would end up the same as the WOD?

[Land of the Free 04]

Why should any of us be surprised that the WOT (War On Tobacco) would end up the same as the WOD?

Smoking supports terrorism!

[miltonim]

American dollars supporting terrorism

[antiRepublicrat]

American dollars supporting terrorism

American anti-smoking liberals creating the framework through which American money can be channeled to terrorists. The social engineers are yet again supporting crime and terrorism.