From: Malaysa Sun
• All sixteen accused are Palestinian immigrants
• Charged with enterprise corruption, money laundering
• All of them face 25 years in prison
NEW YORK – Authorities in New York are claiming to have busted a multi-million cigarette smuggling ring and arrested at least 16 Palestinian immigrants having alleged links with known terror organisations.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Thursday said that the 16 members of the criminal ring in New York City, Albany County and Schenectady County were caught with more than a million cartons of untaxed cigarettes illegally imported from Virginia.
The alleged ringleaders, brothers Basel and Samir Ramadan, were arrested on Wednesday in Maryland.
The accused were charged with enterprise corruption, money laundering and related tax crimes.
Each of the defendants faces up to 25 years behind bars, according to the officials.
“By cheating New Yorkers out of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, this dangerous criminal ring was able to generate astounding profits that we are still continuing to trace,” said Schneiderman.
“There is a very real concern about the possibility of violence related to this type of enterprise. I am committed to putting criminals like this behind bars.”
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly alleged that three of the 16 Palestinian immigrants charged had links to known terrorists.
Kelly alleged that three of the 16 Palestinian immigrants charged had links to known terrorists.
“It hasn’t been established yet where the illicit proceeds ended up. We’re concerned because similar schemes have been used in the past to help fund terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah,” said Kelly.
The amount of money involved remains unclear, but the year-long probe has revealed the ring laundered more than $55 million in illegal proceeds and dodged at least $80 million in New York taxes.
Police said the scheme involved buying large quantities of cigarette cartons from a wholesaler in Virginia, hiding them in a public storage building in Delaware and bringing them to New York City and upstate New York for sale at markets and grocery stores.
Kelly said that one of the suspects used to run a business in the 1990s partly funded by Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind cleric serving a life sentence for conspiracy to blow up New York City landmarks.
Another was the “confidant” of a Lebanese immigrant convicted of a deadly shooting attack in 1994 on a van full of Jewish students on Brooklyn Bridge, he added.
In addition, the criminal enterprise consisted of several New York-based cigarette distributors and resellers, the officials said.
In addition, the criminal enterprise consisted of several New York-based cigarette distributors and resellers, the officials said.
