A Fredericksburg, Va., gas station manager and three others have been indicted on federal charges related to the alleged trafficking of contraband cigarettes.
A federal grand jury in Charlottesville this week indicted manager Vijay N. Patel, employees Pullin P. Amin and Diveshkumar Desai, all of Fredericksburg, and a resident of The Bronx, N.Y., whose identify remains under seal.
The indictment also names the company that owns the station.
The indictment alleges Patel, Amin and Desai bought cigarettes from legitimate sources, then sold them to traffickers who transported them for resale outside of Virginia. During the peak of their activity that began in 2009, about $1 million in cigarettes a month was sold to traffickers.
Each individual defendant faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted.
Gas Station Manager Among Contraband Cigarette Suspects
Copyright AP - Associated Press
