From: Richmond Times-Dispatch
A 30-year-old Palestinian who helped illegally traffic at least $9.5 million in cigarettes from Virginia to other states almost avoided any jail time Thursday.
Issa Qatrawi, pleaded guilty in federal court in September to a charge of conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes, admitting that from June to August 2015 he used business membership accounts to buy 2,085 cartons of cigarettes from Virginia wholesale club stores and then illegally trafficked for resale in other states.
