Editor’s Note: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ was involved in investigating and prosecuting this cigarette trafficking investigation, ATF only becomes involved in trafficking cases that have a nexus of violence. What violent criminal organization benefited from Zhao- Ekelemu smuggling ring?
From: Richmond Times-Dispatch
New York man sentenced to more than 3 years for trafficking cigarettes from Virginia
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In pleading guilty in September to conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes, Wen Heng Zhao, 43, admitted that from March 2014 to November 2016, he oversaw the purchase of at least 517,050 packs of Virginia-stamped cigarettes that were transported to New York.
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Court documents show that Zhao agreed with Bernard Ekelemu, of Fredericksburg, to buy bulk amounts of Virginia-stamped cigarettes in Fredericksburg and Springfield so they could be transported to New York City for resale on the black market as untaxed cigarettes.
