Al-Qaeda, HizbAllah and others have been involved with cigarette smuggling. From the Times Union, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
ROTTERDAM — State Police rounded up 20 men in Rotterdam Wednesday night on felony conspiracy charges related to a cigarette smuggling ring, according to authorities….
One of the men, Elhadi Abdalla, 42, of 180 Lark Drive in Albany, has a history of marijuana convictions and faces extradition to his native Sudan, according to records from federal district court in Buffalo….
In Wednesday night’s arrests, Abdalla was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy. Also charged were: Mamoun Ahmed, 28, and Walid Soliman, 36, both of 937 Cutler St., Schenectady; Salah Alsaedi, 30, of 145 Madison Ave., Albany; Nimzet Ilmic, 42, of 518 Wettmore St., Utica; Ali Jahmee, 53, and Mohammed Jahmee, 20, both of 200 Remsen St., Cohoes; Mohammed Mugalli, 32, of 530 Blondina St., Utica; Mohammed Salahuddin, 36, of 526 Columbia St., Hudson.
Also, Kajlid Yousif, 19, of 1121 Eighth Ave., Schenectady; Noaman Abdulla, 38, of 67 Grand St., Albany; Adel Abuzaid, 35, of 596 Jacob St., Troy; Fuad Azzobaidi, 29, of 149 Second Ave., Albany; Jassim Hasan, 36, of 1827 Fourth St., Rensselaer; Hayel Hussain, 31, of 2337 Van Vranken Ave., Schenectady; Nawaf Mohammed, 26, and Salah Mohammed, 21, both of 106 Fourth St., Troy; and Frank Nistico, 66, of Frankfort, Herkimer County.
Abdullah Alawaqi, 62, of 1572 Second Ave. in Manhattan, was charged with fourth-degree attempted criminal possession of stolen property. Hashim Mohammed, 41, of Crane Street, Schenectady, was charged with trademark counterfeiting.