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Kentucky man held on tobacco charge:
55,000 cigars found in car stopped for violation
Dayton Daily News ^
| 21 September 2002
| Nancy Bowman
Posted on 09/21/2002 7:23:47 AM PDT by Deadeye Division
Kentucky man held on tobacco charge
55,000 cigars found in car stopped for violation
By Nancy Bowman
e-mail address: nancy_bowman@coxohio.com
Miami County Bureau
TROY | A Kentucky man stopped for a traffic violation on Interstate 75 faces felonies involving illegal possession of untaxed tobacco after state troopers said they found around 55,000 cigars and $14,450 cash in his car.
A report filed by troopers at the Piqua post of the Ohio Highway Patrol said state tax agents who came to Piqua to help in the investigation set the retail value of the Swisher Sweets brand cigars at $93,000.
The car's driver, Mustafa Yamani, 53, of Burlington, Ky., was arraigned Friday in Miami County Municipal Court.
He is charged with one felony count each of shipping, transporting or distributing tobacco products with the intent to avoid payment of taxes and being a retail dealer of tobacco products and possessing the product without payment of taxes. The charges are fourth-degree felonies which carry a maximum punishment of 18 months in prison.
He also is charged with misdemeanor transporting tobacco products without the consent of the tax commissioner and a traffic violation of following too closely.
Yamani's bail was set at $30,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 26 in Municipal Court.
In a report filed with the charges, Trooper C.A. Coverstone said Yamani's car was stopped around 10:30 a.m. Thursday just north of the Miami-Shelby county line. The trooper running radar from the interstate median said the northbound car was seen speeding in Miami County, slowed suddenly in traffic near the police cruiser and then started following a rental truck too closely.
After stopping the car, Coverstone said boxes could be seen stacked inside. Yamani was unable to provide any paperwork for the cigars although the trooper said a shipping order for 30 cases of tobacco products, worth around $11,900, from an address in Columbus to Yamani's address in Kentucky was found among the boxes.
Coverstone said the money was found, some in a brown paper bag, in the car's glove box.
Yamani told the trooper that the Columbus company had shipped him too many cigars and he was taking them back along with the money because he didn't want the cigars.
The report said a check of Yamani's record showed he had a prior arrest for smuggling and conspiracy out of Detroit.
He was arrested and taken to the county jail.
Contact Nancy Bowman at 335-4357 or nancy_bowman@coxohio.com
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Kentucky; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: pufflist
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To: Deadeye Division
Bill Clinton?
2
posted on
09/21/2002 7:26:50 AM PDT
by
GnuHere
To: Deadeye Division
Lookee here; a dangerous terrorist who turns out to be a fellow smuggling low cost tobacco across state lines. Now's that contraband to the goobmint. He's guilty of depriving its hungry maws of gazillions in never realized revenues.
To: Deadeye Division
Listing the "street value" of Swisher Sweets! ROFLAMO!
To: Deadeye Division
Personally, I've found that an untaxed cigar has a substantially better aroma than the more common taxed version.
To: Deadeye Division
Mustafa Yamani, Libertarian.
To: TheGrimReaper
This is not funny. This is at least the second time a Middle Eastern person has been caught smuggling tobacco products with thousands of dollars. The other one was run out of Detroit as well, IIRC. Three guesses as to where that illegal, untraceable cash is headed. Good job by LE to catch the scumbag.
To: Tijeras_Slim
And a pretty inflated value too!
$93,000/55,000 cigars = $1.69/cigar
I have not bought Swisher Sweets since high school but I know one can buy "decent" cigars for less.
8
posted on
09/21/2002 7:39:08 AM PDT
by
dmcnash
To: Dems_R_Losers
Where is the money going?
To: GnuHere
80 years War on Organized Crime-failure.
100+ years War on Drugs-failure.
Stoping the 15 year war on American homeland by radical muslims-failure.
"Hey, we got to justify our pay, how about tobbacco?"
"Move along folks, nothing to see here that you haven't seen already. Move along, keep shuffleing forward. Mind the tax shackles, that's it....move towards the light...if not you, then do it for the children......."
10
posted on
09/21/2002 7:41:47 AM PDT
by
Leisler
To: aristeides; thinden; honway; piasa
FYI
To: dmcnash
I bought a bundle of 25 Hoyo de Montereys (6 inch by 50 ring size) from JR Cigar for $40 or $1.60 per cigar...what a steal!
To: Dems_R_Losers
Don't misunderstand... I hope they lock the bastard up until hell freezes over. I just wish the stinking terrorists would stick to their ill-gotten Saudi/Osama cash and leave the cigars alone.
And yes, I know that my previous post was thoroughly unclear on that point.
To: TheGrimReaper
So now we need some PSA anouncements to the effect: "Don't support terrorists! Don't use Swisher Sweets!"
To: Deadeye Division
Lesson #1 for Mustafa Yamani, when
smuggling untaxed tobacco through
the state of Ohio
DO NOT SPEED!!
You now have some very POed gas station owners in Detroit, also
you are not helping your brothers in arms in the Middle East.
To: TheGrimReaper
Damn, I agree with you. They should lock up Mustafa for life for screwing with our beloved cigars. This is terrorism in its purest form, screwing with our everyday pleasures. The only person I ever heard about using a cigar for something other than what was intended was traitor42X.
To: ozzymandus
Yes, that would be a typically asinine big-government reaction, consistent with strip-searching 85 yr. old wheelchair-bound ladies at airports.
To: vetvetdoug
traitor42X If "42X" and Mustafa landed in the same jail cell, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
They could trade "cigar stories" for the next 40 years or so....
To: Dems_R_Losers
This is not funny. This is at least the second time a Middle Eastern person has been caught smuggling tobacco products with thousands of dollars. The other one was run out of Detroit as well, IIRC. Three guesses as to where that illegal, untraceable cash is headed. Good job by LE to catch the scumbag. Gee thanks, Agent Prufrock!
To: vrwconspiracist
FRettiquette requires posting a LINK (so I can get some cheap cigars, too)!
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