Nine people were indicted in Prince George’s County on charges of smuggling cigarettes from Virginia into Maryland, in a show of force for county and state officials trying to crack down on such operations. Nearly 15,000 packs of cigarettes were seized during the arrests of the nine charged, according to officials, resulting in 28-count indictment announced Thursday by Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks.
In each arrest, made in July and August, agents from the Maryland Comptroller’s Office were tipped off by Virginia officials, who reported smugglers purchasing huge quantities of cigarettes, stuffing the cartons into trash bags and suitcases.
| Cigarette taxes by state |
| New York – $4.35 |
| D.C. – $2.50 |
| Maryland – $2.00 |
| Pennsylvania – $1.50 |
| Virginia – $0.30 |
Smugglers purchase cartons in states where cigarette taxes are lower, such as Virginia, and transport them to states with higher taxes to be sold at higher prices.
Virginia taxes 30 cents a pack, while Maryland taxes $2. Smugglers profit off the difference, officials said.
Had the seized cigarettes been sold in Maryland, the state would have lost nearly $30,000 in tax revenue.
“The tax loss to the state as a result of cigarette smuggling operations is a slap in the face to law-abiding business in Maryland,” Franchot said.
The promised land for smugglers is New York, with a state cigarette tax of $4.35, according to officials. All but two of the people indicted are from New York or New Jersey.
Those charged are Jose Gilberto Perez, 53, of Baltimore; Eredania Perez-De-Hernandez, 41, of Baltimore; Maoze Abdallh Ibrahim, 26, of East Orange, N.J.; Abdoulaye Akmoudou, 41, of Newark; Alicia Walker, 34, of Bloomfield, N.J.; Livingus Agubu, 39, of New York; Felix Cruz, of New York; Feby Pledger, 45, of Far Rockaway, N.Y.; and Bernard Cribbs, 58, of Far Rockaway.
The charges carry up to a two-year prison term and $50 fines for every carton of smuggled cigarettes, according to Alsobrooks.
Cigarette smuggling is becoming an increasingly attractive and lucrative crime, according to Franchot. Two former Prince George’s police officers recently pleaded guilty for their roles in smuggling operations.
Maryland officials seized nearly $1.2 million in contraband cigarettes in the past year, according to officials.
