From: nvDaily.com
By Joe Beck
WOODSTOCK — Law enforcement’s efforts to crack down on the smuggling of cigarettes from Virginia to other states continued Wednesday in Shenandoah County Circuit Court with the grand jury indictments of three more men from other states.
The newest cases list the defendants as Tito Llanes and Jin Cho Young of Brooklyn, New York, and Zaher Sameer of Knoxville, Tennessee. All are charged with between five and 10 counts involving crimes such as racketeering, selling more than 3,000 packages of untaxed cigarettes and conducting illegal financial transactions.
Two existing cases related to cigarette smuggling were also heard Wednesday by Circuit Judge Dennis L. Hupp. The defendants in those cases, Abelis and Ronald Vasconcellos, both of the Bronx, New York, appeared in court with their defense attorneys. New hearings in their cases were set for Oct. 15.
