From: Miami Patch
2 Plead Guilty To Smuggling Phony Newport Smokes To Miami
As if smoking wasn’t bad enough, two men pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle $4.4 million in counterfeit cigarettes into Miami.
MIAMI, FL — As if smoking wasn’t bad enough, two men have pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle $4.4 million in counterfeit cigarettes into Miami from India. Abhishek Shukla and Harish Shabhai Panchal acknowledged that they conspired with Jubilee Tobacco Industries Corp. to bring over phony cigarettes that were “substantially indistinguishable” from American-made Newport cigarettes.
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“They also assured the agents that they could counterfeit any American-made menthol cigarette with no problem, as well as other trademarked brands, and that they could produce tobacco blends, which would closely match the legitimate product,” federal prosecutors said.
