Authorities bust $12M cigarette smuggling operation based in Fayetteville

WRAL ^ | 7/22/19 | Mattew Burns

[Libloather]

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — More than two dozen people were arrested last week in connection with a $12 million cigarette smuggling operation based in Fayetteville, authorities said Monday.

U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon said Justin Brent Freeman and his wholesale business, FreeCo Inc., at 231 Williams St., served as a hub for the illegal operation. People would pay cash for large quantities of cigarettes at FreeCo and other retailers in North Carolina, including Sam's Club stores in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Goldsboro, and would then pack the cigarettes into rental cars for shipment to Virginia, Higdon said.

In Richmond or Alexandria, Va., the cigarettes would be shifted to other cars and driven to Syracuse, N.Y., Higdon said. There, the contraband would again be moved to other vehicles to be dispersed across the state to be sold for cash, he said.

[Libloather]

North Carolina collects $4.50 in tax on each carton of cigarettes, while New York collects $43.50 per carton, and cigarettes sold in New York City cost another $14 per carton on top of the state tax, Higdon said. So, the smugglers were making up to $54 per carton by selling the cigarettes in New York while avoiding the state and local taxes there, he said.

Just wait until the feds hear about the child smuggling at the southern border.

[Libloather]

A federal grand jury last week indicted Freeman, FreeCo and the following defendants with criminal conspiracy and money laundering: Malek Hamoud Alsaidi, Ibrahim Ahmed Alsaidi, Sadek Dahan Shahbain, Ayed Yahya Ali Alshami, Alshami Yahya Ali Alshami, Mohamed Hafed Abdou, Mohamed E. Ould El Bechir, Akram Ali Amer, Mohamed Yeslem Ould Izid Bir, Mohammed Saaid Darweesh, El Hassen Hamadi, Musheer Mohammed Hazam Al-Naqeb, Ali Mohammed Mashli Al Qadhi, Mohamed Mounir, Aied Awad Shibli, Shibli Abu Issa Shibli, Manar Mohammad Talal-Mustafa, Mohammed N.M. Khalayfa, Saleh Mohammad Abdeljawad, Kaid M.K. Addailam, Amr Mousa Alhalemi, Ahmad Khalayfa, Rawhi Abdel Jabbar Khams Awad, Ali Aied Shibli, Amchad Rawhi Khamis Awad, Wachdi Awad, Abdallahi Mohamed Elhafedh, Ahmed Elhoussein, Dedde Cheikh and Arafat A.I. Abuhammoud.

All New Yawkas?

[relictele]

There, the contraband would again be moved to other vehicles to be dispersed across the state to be sold for cash

Wow - you can't slip anything past brilliant US Attorney Higdon.

[relictele]

I think we can be unafraid to say ‘send them back.’

[from occupied ga]

SO did they shut down Sam’s Club and arrest the employees there. Doesn’t sound like any laws were being broken in NC.

[ronnie raygun]

This is important because the state in losing tax revenue, this is the point

[USS Alaska]

Since all of the perps are mooselimbs, is there any chance that this money could have been used for terrorists activities?

Or are they just mooselimbs thieves and omar's clan?

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Keep up the good work smugglers.

[Pollard]

This has been going on forever.

[Ikeon]

Nothing that hasnt been going on in d.c the past decades. every gas staion is mohamedxx owned and makes 50x more money in cigs than selling gas.

[csvset]

Lots of Mo Ham Heads there, except for Justin Brent Freeman. Justin has been arrested before, something to do with slot machines.

Here is an older mugshot of Justin.

Did Justin meet some jihadis in jail and come up with this plot ?

[relictele]

With respect, nothing could concern me less.

‘Sin taxes’ end up costing millions in enforcement and ratchet up the involvement of government in business and everyday lives to say nothing of having coppers and revenuers conducting surveillance, running plate readers etc on every vehicle that passes.

States that jack up their tax rates and are surprised or dismayed by the black market are as naive as they are mendacious.

[Chode]

hell, they killed that black guy for three untaxed smokes

[PghBaldy]

I knew it was muslims before I scrolled down... Thank you for the names.

[Alberta's Child]

I realize this operation spanned multiple states, but I don’t see why the Feds should be involved in prosecuting a case where the only “harm” appears to be a major loss of state tax revenue — in ONE state.

This should have been prosecuted in New York. Let Andrew Cuomo serve as his own revenue collection agent.

[Track9]

Bttt

[.44 Special]

Never could figure out why some folk put such effort in to criminal enterprise just to windup making dumb mistakes and goin’ down for it.
If them same folk could put tbat much effort into a straight life they could probably be successful.
The really stupid part is to think that they can commit any crime they want and get away with it. I wonder if that mental defect is genetic?

[bert]

What was described was not smuggling, but rather the free market at work

[EQAndyBuzz]

This is nothing new. The father of a friend of mine was the super of several buildings in Brooklyn. Along with milk and candy machines, he put cigarette machines in the basements of the buildings he managed. He would drive to Virginia, buy cigarettes and use those for his machines.

Made a decent living from it.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Malek Hamoud Alsaidi, Ibrahim Ahmed Alsaidi, Sadek Dahan Shahbain, Ayed Yahya Ali Alshami, Alshami Yahya Ali Alshami, Mohamed Hafed Abdou, Mohamed E. Ould El Bechir, Akram Ali Amer, Mohamed Yeslem Ould Izid Bir, Mohammed Saaid Darweesh, El Hassen Hamadi, Musheer Mohammed Hazam Al-Naqeb, Ali Mohammed Mashli Al Qadhi, Mohamed Mounir, Aied Awad Shibli, Shibli Abu Issa Shibli, Manar Mohammad Talal-Mustafa, Mohammed N.M. Khalayfa, Saleh Mohammad Abdeljawad, Kaid M.K. Addailam, Amr Mousa Alhalemi, Ahmad Khalayfa, Rawhi Abdel Jabbar Khams Awad, Ali Aied Shibli, Amchad Rawhi Khamis Awad, Wachdi Awad, Abdallahi Mohamed Elhafedh, Ahmed Elhoussein, Dedde Cheikh and Arafat A.I. Abuhammoud.

Community organizers for Ilhan Omar.