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Police: 1200 untaxed cigarette cartons seized on I-95

Posted at 2:54 PM, Jan 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-26 18:19:11-05

Maryland Transportation Authority Police seized almost 1200 cartons of untaxed cigarettes during a traffic stop on I-95 in Harford County.

Police said 53-year-old Issam Ali Ahmad, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was speeding northbound on I-95 just before an officer pulled him over Monday evening.  

During the traffic stop, the duty officer discovered Ahmad was attempting to illegally smuggle more than $77,000 worth of cigarettes in the rear of his vehicle.

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

The initial investigation revealed that he was heading to New Jersey. 

"The MDTA Police continue to partner with allied law-enforcement agencies to help eliminate activity on our roadways," said MTDA police chief Col. Terry Jones. 

Ahmad was transported to the Harford County Detention Center and later released pending his trial.