The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today announced that a 31-year-old man living in Lackawanna has been arrested for transporting more than 600 cartons of contraband cigarettes.

The defendant was identified as Murad Elmathil of 163 Lehigh Street. He was taken into custody by Erie County Sheriffs, members of the Tax Department’s Cigarette Strike Force, on October 26 about a mile east of the Angola, NY rest stop on Interstate 90.

Elmathil was charged with Possession of Unstamped Cigarettes, Criminal Tax Fraud, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance for a sandwich bag of the substance known as “khat” discovered in his vehicle.

Elmathil said at the time of his arrest that the cigarettes were purchased in North Carolina – 600 cartons of Newport brand cigarettes with no tax stamp affixed and three cartons of Marlboros without the proper stamp.

A criminal complaint is an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He was released on his own recognizance. Elmathil is set to return to Evans Town Court on November 10.

In March, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a new Cigarette Strike Force to crack down on illegal tobacco trafficking and sales. The multi-agency Strike Force, led by the Tax Department, is composed of state, local and federal agencies dedicated to stopping the influx of counterfeit and untaxed tobacco products into New York. The Strike Force also focuses on tracing any illicit financial earnings from that criminal activity.

Related news NYS Tax Department Announces 4 Arrests in New York City and Buffalo for Illegal Cigarette Trafficking