Bronx DA Announces 20 Arrests In 'Operation Smoke Brake' Cigarette Smuggling Bust

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Bronx County District Attorney Robert Johnson announced the indictments of 20 people and six corporations on Thursday, with 1,345 charges in a cigarette smuggling operation between Virginia and the Bronx.

The arrests and indictments came as part of Operation Smoke Brake, designed to snuff out an allegedly major smuggling operation.

Defendants in the case face state felony charges including enterprise corruption, criminal tax fraud, and money laundering, as well as New York City administrative violations of cigarette tax laws.

Mohamed Mustafa, 29, allegedly ran the operation by storing cigarettes, acquired in Virginia, at locations around the Bronx.

Authorities said Hiyad Chaib, 32, assisted Mustafa in setting prices, and establishing pickup locations and times for distributors via a business phone line.

The pair are accused of acquiring the majority of the cigarettes used in the operation from Virginia residents Rabih Saba, 39, and Moeen Kahn, 46.

The suspects are accused of moving almost 2,000 cartons of cigarettes a week, costing the state over $100,000 in tax revenue. The total tax fraud is believed to be close to $3 million. The defendants could face total maximum tax penalties of nearly $36-million.

It is is alleged that the suspects received regular orders from Express Deli Grocery, and the Al Nabil group of delis controlled by Nabil Ahmed Al-Jomal.

Authorities said that some proceeds from the alleged smuggling operation were sent to the defendants home countries in Africa and the Middle East.