Speeding Leads to Major Cigarette Seizure on I-95: MDTA

A traffic stop on Interstate 95 near I-695 recently netted more than 20,000 packs of cigarettes that were allegedly going to be sold without paying sales tax, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) reported.

Ammar M. Shamakh, 32, of Pikeville, N.C., was going 72 mph in a 55 mph zone when MDTA police pulled over his 2015 Chevrolet Suburban on I-95 north before exit 64 for I-695 on Saturday, court records show.

Shamakh had been driving from North Carolina to New Jersey, and during an interview by the side of I-95 in Baltimore County, authorities said they identified cigarettes spread throughout the interior of the vehicle.

There were 30 cartons of cigarettes—worth more than $133,000 in retail value—that represented a total tax loss for the state of Maryland of $41,340, officials reported.

Shamakh was charged with willfully transporting and possessing unstamped cigarettes,

“This type of large-scale cigarette smuggling hurts law-abiding retailers, makes it easier for kids and teenagers to get cigarettes, and deprives the State of vital revenues,” Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot said in a statement. “I’d like to thank the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for this arrest. They continue to be a great partner in Maryland’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal cigarette smuggling.”

Court records show Shamakh appeared before a Baltimore County District Court commissioner and was released on $75,000 bail.

Photos courtesy of the Maryland Transportation Authority.