Agents Arrest Gaithersburg Man; Cite Businesses in Four Counties in Tobacco Bust

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A Gaithersburg man faces a felony charge for allegedly illegally importing and selling tobacco products worth an estimated $40,000 at stores in four counties.

The products -- cigars and related products, snuff and chew referred to as OTP by the state -- total nearly 49,000 packages. Authorities say they were imported into Maryland and sold in stores in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County and Harford County.

Investigators charge that Iqbal Mohammed Hussain Thada, 44, of Gaithersburg obtained tobacco products from wholesalers in Virginia and Pennsylvania, transporting the goods into Maryland and distributing them to retail stores as a wholesaler. The retailers then sold the untaxed tobacco to Maryland consumers for increased profit margins.

On March 24 officials say they saw Thada deliver untaxed tobacco products to a Landover Exxon gas station and store in Hyattsville. Agents found a large quantity of untaxed OTP in the van as well as in the store.

Agents and inspectors with the state comptroller’s office searched a residence at 15014 Jerimiah Lane in Bowie, which was used as a warehouse. Seized from the van and the warehouse were 44,923 packages of untaxed OTP with a retail value of more than $40,000.

Thada faces a felony charge of willful transportation of OTP without paying the tobacco tax. He faces two additional misdemeanor charges of possession to sell untaxed tobacco products and failure to have appropriate tobacco licenses when acting as a wholesaler, tobacconist or storage warehouse. A court date has been sent for May 7 in Prince George’s County.

During inspections of 25 retail stores, investigators found four stores that sold untaxed tobacco products. The inspection resulted in untaxed tobacco products seized at these locations:

• Landover Exxon, 6579 Annapolis Road in Hyattsville, 415 packages of OTP with a retail value of $518.75. Criminal citation issued to Belvir Singh, 42, 8545 Black Star Circle, Columbia, for possession, sale or offer to sell untaxed OTP.
• Apex Mini Mart, 5301 East Drive in Arbutus, 1,685 packages of OTP with a retail value of $1,685, and Rosedale Crown, 1771, Chesaco Ave., Rosedale, 361 packages of OTP with a retail value of $361. Two criminal citations issued to Moazzam Aftab, 44, 9088 Town and Country Boulevard, Apt. 6E, Ellicott City; for possession, sale or offer to sell untaxed OTP.
• York Road Crown, 5101 York Road in Baltimore, 1,391 packages of OTP with a retail value of $1,391. Criminal citation issued to Abdalatti M. Eighannan, 45, 9801 Kraft Hill Road in Perry Hill, for possession, sale, or offer to sell untaxed OTP.
• Riverdale Tiger Mart, 6117 Baltimore Ave. in Riverdale, 94 packages of OTP with a retail value of $94. Criminal summons issued for Ali Asad, 15014 Jeremiah Lane in Bowie, for possession, sale or offer to sell untaxed OTP.