14 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 6, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Seven in Queens busted for roles in untaxed cigarette scheme
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Seven Queens individuals were indicted
Wednesday in a massive untaxed cigarette
ring in the east coast evading over $3
million in taxes, according to New York
Attorney General Barbara Underwood.
Th e defendants are Mohammed Alsaidi,
36; Yaheya Ghaleb, 40; Wail Asseadi, 27;
Bakil Adlehelfri, 38; Naser Alsaidi, 41;
Adnan Alsayedi, 41; and Tawfi q Aziz, 43.
“We have zero tolerance for those who
try to game the system and cheat New
Yorkers — and we won’t hesitate to hold
them accountable,” said Underwood.
Th e takedown was dubbed “Operation
Big Wheels” aft er investigators identifi
ed numerous Ford F-350 and F-150
pickup trucks that had been aft er-market
modifi ed, allegedly utilized by the
defendants to transport the cartons of cigarettes
across state lines, said Underwood.
Th e Queens men were among 17 individuals
who conducted an untaxed cigarette
traffi cking enterprise — from on
or about and between Oct. 24, 2017,
and July 31, 2018 — in Queens, Kings,
Bronx, New York, Westchester, and
Nassau Counties, as well as in New Jersey,
Virginia, and North Carolina, according
to Underwood.
According to Underwood, Alsaidi acted
as the ring leader of “Alsaidi Untaxed
Cigarette Distribution Enterprise.” His
“employees” or “associates” allegedly
illegally traffi cked over 18 million cigarettes
from low-tax states, such as North
Carolina and Virginia, to various parts of
New York City — without paying New
York State and New York City tobacco
taxes, the indictment states.
According to the indictment, Alsaidi
allegedly set prices for customers and distributors
and negotiated prices with the
suppliers in the criminal enterprise. He
directed members, received and placed
orders, scheduled deliveries, and prescribed
the times and locations at which
his customers exchanged money for
untaxed cigarettes.
Th e untaxed cigarettes were stored in
various locations in Queens and throughout
New York City and New York State,
the indictment states.
Th e New York State Attorney General’s
Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and
the New York City Police Department’s
Intelligence Bureau led the investigation
and utilized court-authorized wiretapping,
GPS tracking, covert cameras, and
undercover operations.
According to Underwood, wiretaps
intercepted the defendants allegedly discussing
their illegal transactions in a cryptic
and coded manner in hopes of avoiding
detection by law enforcement, referring
to Virginia as “V” and North Carolina
as “the North” to indicate which state they
preferred to source their cigarettes from.
According to the indictment, none
of the members were licensed or registered
New York State Cigarette Stamping
Agents, Retailers, Wholesale Dealers of
Cigarettes, nor do they possess Certifi cates
of Registration to sell cigarettes within the
State of New York.
Th e 242-count indictment charged all
17 individuals with enterprise corruption,
criminal tax fraud in the fi rst degree,
and money laundering in the second
degree — all of which are class B felonies,
each carrying a sentencing range of 1 to
3 or 8 ⅓ to 25 years in state prison, said
Underwood.
Additionally, all the defendants were
charged with counts of possession or
transport for the purpose of sale of 30,000
or more unstamped cigarettes, and with
conspiracy.
Th e ring leader, Alsaidi, is facing 165
separate charges, including enterprise
corruption, criminal tax fraud, money
laundering, and related tax crimes, said
Underwood.
New airport concourse open at LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst
BY NAEISHA ROSE
nrose@cnglocal.com
@QNS
“A Whole New LaGuardia,” an $8 billion
redevelopment plan for the East
Elmhurst airport, is soaring to new heights
aft er the opening of its fi rst new concourse
on Saturday ,Dec. 1.
Th e concourse at Terminal B has 11 new
gates with several state-of-the-art amenities
helps to usher the 79-year-old airport
into the 21st century, according to the
Nov. 29 announcement.
“Th e opening of the fi rst new concourse
and gates at Terminal B marks another
signifi cant milestone in the transformation
of LaGuardia Airport into a modern,
global gateway that is worthy of the State
of New York,” Governor Andrew Cuomo
said. “While leaders in Washington only
talk about investing in infrastructure, in
New York we are actually getting it done,
and now travelers from across the world
will start to see and experience a whole
new LaGuardia.”
The gate areas are spacious at
250,000-square-feet and include New
York-Inspired dining and retail, according
to Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul.
“Th e transformation of LaGuardia
Airport is part of New York’s eff orts to
modernize our airports and improve the
travel experience,” said Hochul on the Dec.
1 opening. “Th e opening of the new gates
at LaGuardia will bring additional dining
and retail options highlighting the great
local products New York has to off er.”
Th ere will be more than a dozen concessions,
and the restaurant and retail options
include Shake Shack, La Chula, Osteria
Fusco, Kingside, Irving Farm Coff ee,
the FAO Schwarz toy store, McNally
Jackson, an independent bookseller, and
District Market, which includes “Made in
Queens” products through a partnership
with the Queens Economic Development
Corporation, according to Cuomo’s offi ce.
“Th e new gates will not only ease passenger
travel, but they will also off er the
amenities that all visitors have come to
expect at international airports today,”
said Queens Borough President Melinda
Katz.
Th e complex multi-phase construction
plan at the airport was designed to
accommodate LaGuardia’s approximately
30 million passengers annually, and new
gates are built into a unifi ed terminal system
as old ones are demolished in order
to maintain the capacity without reducing
service, according to Cuomo’s offi ce.
Th e concourse at Terminal B has 55-feet
high ceiling windows, charging stations at
gate seating areas, free high-speed unlimited
wi-fi for travelers to surf or stream the
internet, a children’s play space, a private
nursing room, modern restrooms and an
indoor park with real trees, landscaping
and benches, according to Cuomo’s offi ce.
“Th ese upgrades to LaGuardia Airport
will make a real diff erence in the lives of
New Yorkers and provide a world-class
experience to those who travel to our
state,” said Assemblyman Jeff rion Aubry.
Nearly 260 have been hired to work at
Terminal B, 50 percent are Queens residents,
according to Cuomo’s offi ce. Over
750 contracts worth $1 billion were issued
to minority-and women-owned businesses,
and the redevelopment, which is to be
completed by 2021, is estimated to generate
$10 billion in economic activity and
$2.5 billion in wages over the life of the
project.
“LaGuardia Airport is an essential component
of New York’s economy and visitors’
fi rst impression of Queens. By transforming
this gateway to the city and state
into a world-class airport, we are providing
a top-notch experience for anyone
traveling to New York for business or pleasure,”
said Congressman Joe Crowley.”
Photo via Twitter/@NYPD113Pct
A pyramid of untaxed cigarettes seized in a previous police operation.
Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin/Offi ce of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz helped cut the ribbon on Nov. 29 at LaGuardia Airport’s new gates.
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