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The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.
February 5, 2003, Wednesday, BC cycle
7:12 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 587 words
HEADLINE: Cigarette smugglers fed money to Hezbollah, feds say
BYLINE: By JIM IRWIN, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: DETROIT
BODY:
Two men accused in a cigarette trafficking ring have been charged with funneling contraband profits to the Islamic-militant group Hezbollah, federal authorities say.
The two were among 11 people charged in an indictment with buying cigarettes in North Carolina and an Indian reservation in New York, then bringing them back to Michigan to be resold.
Cigarette taxes are $12.50 per carton in Michigan and 50 cents per carton in North Carolina. Cigarettes are not taxed on the reservation. The government linked the conspiracy to Mohamad Hammoud, the suspected leader of a Hezbollah cell who was convicted in North Carolina last June of helping run a ring that sent cigarette-smuggling profits to the Lebanese group.
The indictment unsealed Tuesday charges each of the 11 with conspiracy to commit a pattern of racketeering activity, including contraband cigarette trafficking, possession of counterfeit cigarette tax stamps, credit card fraud, money laundering, arson and witness tampering.
Dearborn residents Elias M. Akhdar, 30, and Hassan M. Makki, 41, were charged separately with trying to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hezbollah, said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins.
All 11 defendants are accused of buying cigarettes in North Carolina and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York, then bringing them to Michigan to be resold, said Collins and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The defendants would at times use fraudulent credit cards to purchase the cigarettes and then use counterfeit stamps to make it appear that Michigan taxes had been paid, the indictment says.
Salim N. Awde, 45, of Dearborn Heights was indicted individually on charges of traveling overseas to commit credit card fraud and threatening to kill a potential government witness. The government asked that Awde be held without bond pending trial, claiming Hezbollah "would be motivated to assist Awde in fleeing the United States."
The government said one of the alleged conspirators' main sources of low-taxed North Carolina cigarettes was Hammoud. A federal jury in Charlotte, N.C., convicted Hammoud in June 2002 of helping run a smuggling operation in that state that sent profits to Hezbollah.
Others charged in the Jan. 23 indictment are
-Ali M. Akhdar, 39, of Detroit.
-Ali A. Daher, 41, of Dearborn.
-Mohamad A. Daher, 32, of Dearborn.
-Issam H. Fawaz, 35, of Dearborn.
-Nabil M. Ismail, 31, of Dearborn.
-Mohamad A. Hariri, 28, of Dearborn Heights.
-Carole Gordon, 58, of Irving, N.Y., identified as Eliass Akhdar's common-law wife.
-Brandy Jo Bowman, 24, of Irving, N.Y., identified as Carole Gordon's granddaughter and the mother of two of Elias Akhdar's children.
Of the 11 people indicted, six were in custody and the rest were free on bond Tuesday afternoon, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman in Collins' office.
Elias Akhdar was being held pending a detention hearing Thursday. Makki, Ismail and Hariri faced detention hearings Wednesday.
Gordon and Bowman were released on bond after being arrested on the Cattaraugus reservation. Awde was arrested in Queens, N.Y., and Fawaz was arrested in Boston; both were expected to be arraigned in Detroit within 10 days, Balaya said.
Ali Akhdar, Ali Daher and Mohamad Daher were arrested in the Detroit area and released on bond.
Elias Akhdar faces up to 25 years in prison and fines totaling $500,000 if convicted. The other defendants each face up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
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Drugs, SUVs, Oil, Cigarettes.... Is there anthing I can buy without contributing to terrorism?
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.
February 5, 2003, Wednesday, BC cycle
7:12 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 587 words
HEADLINE: Cigarette smugglers fed money to Hezbollah, feds say
BYLINE: By JIM IRWIN, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: DETROIT
BODY:
Two men accused in a cigarette trafficking ring have been charged with funneling contraband profits to the Islamic-militant group Hezbollah, federal authorities say.
The two were among 11 people charged in an indictment with buying cigarettes in North Carolina and an Indian reservation in New York, then bringing them back to Michigan to be resold.
Cigarette taxes are $12.50 per carton in Michigan and 50 cents per carton in North Carolina. Cigarettes are not taxed on the reservation. The government linked the conspiracy to Mohamad Hammoud, the suspected leader of a Hezbollah cell who was convicted in North Carolina last June of helping run a ring that sent cigarette-smuggling profits to the Lebanese group.
The indictment unsealed Tuesday charges each of the 11 with conspiracy to commit a pattern of racketeering activity, including contraband cigarette trafficking, possession of counterfeit cigarette tax stamps, credit card fraud, money laundering, arson and witness tampering.
Dearborn residents Elias M. Akhdar, 30, and Hassan M. Makki, 41, were charged separately with trying to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hezbollah, said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins.
All 11 defendants are accused of buying cigarettes in North Carolina and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York, then bringing them to Michigan to be resold, said Collins and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The defendants would at times use fraudulent credit cards to purchase the cigarettes and then use counterfeit stamps to make it appear that Michigan taxes had been paid, the indictment says.
Salim N. Awde, 45, of Dearborn Heights was indicted individually on charges of traveling overseas to commit credit card fraud and threatening to kill a potential government witness. The government asked that Awde be held without bond pending trial, claiming Hezbollah "would be motivated to assist Awde in fleeing the United States."
The government said one of the alleged conspirators' main sources of low-taxed North Carolina cigarettes was Hammoud. A federal jury in Charlotte, N.C., convicted Hammoud in June 2002 of helping run a smuggling operation in that state that sent profits to Hezbollah.
Others charged in the Jan. 23 indictment are
-Ali M. Akhdar, 39, of Detroit.
-Ali A. Daher, 41, of Dearborn.
-Mohamad A. Daher, 32, of Dearborn.
-Issam H. Fawaz, 35, of Dearborn.
-Nabil M. Ismail, 31, of Dearborn.
-Mohamad A. Hariri, 28, of Dearborn Heights.
-Carole Gordon, 58, of Irving, N.Y., identified as Eliass Akhdar's common-law wife.
-Brandy Jo Bowman, 24, of Irving, N.Y., identified as Carole Gordon's granddaughter and the mother of two of Elias Akhdar's children.
Of the 11 people indicted, six were in custody and the rest were free on bond Tuesday afternoon, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman in Collins' office.
Elias Akhdar was being held pending a detention hearing Thursday. Makki, Ismail and Hariri faced detention hearings Wednesday.
Gordon and Bowman were released on bond after being arrested on the Cattaraugus reservation. Awde was arrested in Queens, N.Y., and Fawaz was arrested in Boston; both were expected to be arraigned in Detroit within 10 days, Balaya said.
Ali Akhdar, Ali Daher and Mohamad Daher were arrested in the Detroit area and released on bond.
Elias Akhdar faces up to 25 years in prison and fines totaling $500,000 if convicted. The other defendants each face up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
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Drugs, SUVs, Oil, Cigarettes.... Is there anthing I can buy without contributing to terrorism?
