NC Man Found With 1,200 Cartons of Untaxed Cigarettes

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A North Carolina man was arrested after the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police pulled him over Monday and found that he had nearly 1,200 cartons of untaxed cigarettes.

53-year-old Issam Ali Ahmad was arrested on January 23, after an MDTA officer stopped him on I-95 in Harford County for speeding.

During a search of his 2015 Toyota Sienna, officers report finding nearly 1,200 cartons of cigarettes in the back of the car. Ahmad was reportedly driving from North Carolina to New Jersey.

Police say the cartons of cigarettes have a retail value of more than $77,000.

Ahmad was charged with transporting cigarettes within Maryland without the tobacco tax being paid and unlawfully possessing more than 30 cartons of unstamped cigarettes.

The total tax loss for the state of Maryland is $24,000, according to MDTA.

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