Comptroller's FED Agents Seize Contraband Cigarettes in Worcester

More than 8,400 packs valued at $54,000 confiscated during stop

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Comptroller Peter Franchot has announced that agents from his Field Enforcement Division (FED) assisted the Pocomoke City Police Department in a traffic stop on Halloween night that resulted in the confiscation of thousands of packs of contraband cigarettes and the arrest of a New York City man.

“My FED agents stand ready to assist our local police departments that uncover the illegal transport of contraband cigarettes and other tobacco products,” Comptroller Franchot said. “Their diligence sends a clear message to cheats and crooks that they take a real chance of getting caught as they drive through Maryland with their illegal goods. I am proud of the partnering my agents do with local and state police agencies to level the playing field.”

At 9:30 p.m. on October 31, Pocomoke City PD Pfc. Robert Horseman stopped a rented 2018 Volkswagon Atlas SUV with a Texas license plate for a traffic violation on U.S. Route 13 northbound at U.S. Route 113 in Pocomoke City, Worcester County. During the stop, the driver, Gamil Ali Aljahmi, 23, of Bronx, N.Y., was found to be transporting contraband cigarettes. FED agents responded to assist.

Upon arrival, FED agents seized 8,430 packs of contraband cigarettes and the vehicle. The seized cigarettes are valued at $54,374 and represent a tax loss of $16,860.

Aljahmi was charged with a felony count of transporting contraband cigarettes and a misdemeanor charge of possession of contraband cigarettes. He was released from custody with a $10,000 unsecured bond set by the Worcester County District Court Commissioner. Aljahmi waived his right to a preliminary hearing. At this time, no trial date has been set in Worcester County Circuit Court.