Vehicle stopped for unstamped cigarettes

BY ROBERT L. BAKER

ThreeNew York Cityresidents got to spend a night in the Montrose jail after being charged with illegal possession of unstamped  cigarettes when a van they were riding in Jan. 7 was pulled over on I-81 inLenoxTownship.

Nelisha F. Hughes, 26, of Bronx, N.Y., was the driver of a 2004 Nissan Quest, which had been heading north on I-81, and found to be carrying 201 cartons of Newport cigarettes that were in packages which  did not contain a genuine Pennsylvania Cigarette Tax Stamp.

Hughes and passengers, Ahmed I. Bilal, 32, also of Bronx; and Ahmed Ould Mohamed Salem, 32, of Queens, N.Y., were arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Suzanne Brainard and charged with possession of unstamped cigarettes, and criminal conspiracy to possess unstamped cigarettes.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Tpr Thomas Horan received consent to search the vehicle which revealed 58 cartons of Newport Box and 143 cartons of Newport 100s untaxed cigarettes.

Ms. Hughes said the cigarettes had been bought inVirginiaand she was transporting them back toNew York Cityto sell them.

Asked by Horan as to why they would take a route that included Susquehanna County, the complaint noted that Hughes said they had made a wrong turn.

In lieu of bail, they were all remanded to theSusquehannaCountyjail and released on Tuesday, Jan. 10, after each paid a cigarette tax fine of $300.