Posted on 10/01/2005 6:51:39 AM PDT by Racehorse
. . . Undercover federal agents, working with confidential informants, posed as black-market suppliers of the cigarettes. They also filled orders for Enfamil infant formula and EBT (food-stamp) cards that were used to buy merchandise that was resold at local convenience stores, according to court records.
The sting resulted in the prosecution of nearly two dozen people, most of whom were indicted Wednesday on charges that they participated in a conspiracy that operated in an underground market for cigarettes. The indictment alleges they conspired to receive, transport, possess, sell and distribute about 9.6 million cigarettes
[. . .]
The arrests capped months of investigation by ATF, the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and San Antonio police, with assistance from several other state and federal agencies. It included the seizure of $500,000 and several cars that agents suspect are proceeds of the criminal enterprise.
[. . .]
Charged in the counterfeit-cigarette conspiracy case are: Wael Wahid Jamal Abdelaziz, Khair Abdallah, Mohammad Abdelaziz, Sayel Shihaden Abdallah, Makram Sayel Hijaz, Maisar Hassan Abdalla, Moayed Nabil Shalabi, Mohanad Nabil Shalabi, Mohammad Sayel Hijaz, Amin Abdel Alshalabi, John Anthony DelaCruz, Farouk Ibrahim Abulaban, Nabil Saleh Abdelquader, Madhat SF Orabi, Ziad Mahmoud Alsalameh, Haleem Hamoudeh Hamoudeh, Isam Hmaidan, Mohammad Diab Al-Rafati, Said Issa, Mohamed Ahmad Salameh, and Suleman Bhojani, and Harjeet Singh Ghuman.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment charges Sayel Shihaden Abdallah, Makram Sayel Hijaz and Maisar Hassa Abdalla with unauthorized use of food stamps.
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
Gee,only one that looks like they are not from the middle east.
According to Mapquest, it is only 259 miles from San Antonio to Palestine.
LOL. :-)
Mapquest is absolutely on the mark.
Try to find the mileage between San Antonio and San Antonio. Gives Texas another reason to reclaim New Mexico. (Never mind that the first two tries didn't work out too well for us.)
I know nothing about the Enfamil formula or EBT cards - but the blame for a black market on cigarettes can primarily be laid at the feet of government and exhorbitant taxes on tobacco products.
How many are American Citizens? How many are here on student visas? How many on resident visas? How many are just plain illegal aliens? There are a lot of unanswered questions here.................
Look at this...
Lots.
Imagine more will be slow in coming as trials move toward the downtown federal courthouse.
One daughter was interviewed on a local tv news program. Two or three of her relatives were among those arrested. Believe she, or the reporter, said they had been in the country for twenty years. Nothing more.
That's as good a theory as any and it makes a lot of sense.
I had no idea that formula was that expensive.....
Oh, it's a racket. And once you get started on it, you have to keep buying and buying...Like crack. ;-P
It's time to shut down immigration from Muslim countries supporting terrorism.
Funding terrorism one fag [cigarette] at a time.
Not having experience with either, I will take your word for it :)
All kidding aside, it does sound like a racket.......however, just like the outrageous taxes on tobacco products, such high costs would seem to defeat the company's purpose - since they don't make anything once the stuff is on the black market.
ping...
Oh, really?
Unintended consequences of misplaced good intentions strikes again. The same government that subsidizes tobacco, opposes, then imposes exorbitantly outrageous high taxes on said tobacco, which creates a criminal element to exploit the situation. Then government pats itself on the back for fighting the very crime which they created.
>>>>I know nothing about the Enfamil formula or EBT cards - but the blame for a black market on cigarettes can primarily be laid at the feet of government and exhorbitant taxes on tobacco products.
Oh yes. And the food stamps AND coupons.
Yes, coupons. Redeem for pennies on a coupon. Many terror enablers have their own newspaper stands. Their wives or children will clip hundreds of coupons and mail them in.
In every city in which coupon fraud has been investigated, the networks have been headed by Arab immigrants, some of whom have been connected to terrorist organizations.
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