The Yassins are both charged with felony theft and control of stolen goods, and Shlain is charged with felony retail theft.

Mahmoud Yassin was arrested at Discount Cigarettes, 2990 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, while his son and Shlain were arrested at their homes by investigators including the Chicago Police Asset Forfeiture Unit. Each was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail following a hearing today before Cook County Criminal Court Judge Donald Panarese, according to court records.

What police described as an elaborate fencing operation supplied Mahmoud Yassin s stores as well as others, buying cigarettes and items including cough syrup, tooth whitening strips, coffee and razor blades, from shoplifters, police said.

Police began investigating about six months ago, and during “Operation Cheap Smokes,” found that Mahmoud Yassin used Discount Cigarettes, as well as two other shops, School Snack Grocery and Tobacco, 3936 W. School St., and Euro Communications, 5359 W. Belmont Ave., to sell the items for retail or to other businesses. The items also were resold on eBay, according to police.

At Discount Cigarettes, investigators recorded undercover sales in which people posed as shoplifters and the Yassins negotiated prices, police said.

When police served warrants Wednesday, at the Belmont shop they found a false wall hiding a storeroom filled with merchandize, including 360 packs of stolen cigarettes, police said. In all, they found 6,300 packs without the proper tax stamps at the one store, police said.

At the Yassins Orland Park home, police found $100,000 in cash, believed to be the proceeds of the fencing operation, as well as a Mercedes Benz and four other vehicles, police said. The homes were used to organize and prepare items being sold online for shipment, police said.

After the arrests Wednesday, Mahmoud Yassin was hospitalized at Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, Mirabelli said.

The three are scheduled to appear again in court on June 13.

lford

Twitter ltaford

Where can i buy cheap cigarettes online in the u.k? in the answerbank: shopping

Got news wire

friedgreentomato Try 16 54 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Simple advice

From HMRC’s website

“Is it legal to buy tobacco over the internet from another European Community country?

Yes, but ONLY if the UK VAT and excise duty is paid on the goods. The person who sells the goods must make arrangements for these taxes to be paid before they are sent to you. If you are a customer, it is in your interests to ensure this has been done, otherwise the goods are liable to forfeiture by Customs at the postal depot”.

So then they don’t come cheap. 16 55 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Mosaic East lancashire, most corner shops, but do not be at all surprised if what is described as Benson and hedges is actually woodchip, burnt sofas and mud, prepared lovingly by a workforce with very interesting communicable diseases. 16 58 Sun 26th Aug 2012
EDDIE51 You can’t buy cheap fags online or anywhere else. Cheapest way is to buy 20,000 at a time from a cash and carry . You will save around 25p a pack of 20 over the shop price. 17 05 Sun 26th Aug 2012
sandyRoe Wouldn’t they cost thousands of pounds? 17 08 Sun 26th Aug 2012
bednobs lol are you trying to buy friends with fags? Are you still at school? 17 09 Sun 26th Aug 2012
sandyRoe f8 for 20, f40 for a hundred, f400 for a thousand, f8000 for 20,000. You’d be richer giving up smoking altogether. 17 12 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Prudie You could make friends with people in the South who work the ferries or maybe an airline worker. Even then 800 is the guideline to bring in from the EU. 17 19 Sun 26th Aug 2012
EDDIE51 I’ve had a look and the big ‘cash & Carrys’ are all more per pack of 20 than buying from Tesco , remember the price you see in the cash and carry is without VAT so add on 20%. 17 20 Sun 26th Aug 2012
JonnyBoy12 Question Author No, I am not still at school and I am over the age of 18. Remember I had a birthday recently. Can anyone remember that? I will not tell you what it is.

I have just found the following site in the Internet. See the link below

17 23 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Mamyalynne Jonny if you are intent on this, after all the advice given then just do it and don’t complain when it backfires. 17 27 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Graham W If you live near any of the ferry ports you can save f150 on 800 cigarettes by having a day trip to Belgium. Save f80 f100 in France, depending on what you smoke.
You’ll save more than the ferry cost as a foot passenger. 17 28 Sun 26th Aug 2012
pink kittens LOL, address is
Amarico SA
50th Street, Global Plaza Tower
19th Floor, Suite H
Panama City

“Since we cannot guarantee that duty tax will not be charged world wide, in case of request for duty tax, you can
pay duty tax and collect the parcel.
reject the parcel which will be returned to us and ask for your money back” for sure

And they do not sell cigarettes only ship them. They drop ship in other words
buy at your peril, repenting isn’t usually pleasurable 17 29 Sun 26th Aug 2012
JonnyBoy did you see this at the end of the link you provided?

Very important The cigarettes on sale at are for personal use only. Reselling the products may be a criminal offense. 17 32 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Do we really need this rubbish on AnswerBank? 17 33 Sun 26th Aug 2012
craft1948 lol you’ve answered the rubbish 3 times……………. 17 35 Sun 26th Aug 2012
PurplePotRay ( Even then 800 is the guideline to bring in from the EU. )

What happened to you must think European be European and free trade in Europe ? 17 38 Sun 26th Aug 2012
B00 Why is it rubbish?

The OP has asked a legitimate question hasn’t he? The fact that it can’t be done, well, not with any significant savings isn’t his fault, nor does it make his question invalid. 17 38 Sun 26th Aug 2012
JonnyBoy12 Question Author Thank you BOO. I did ask ask a valid question and have got some sensible answers. I am sorry to see that I can not really do that except if I go abroad and buy duty free there and bring it back. Can any of you tell me the legal limit for one person bringing back fags from the Continent? 17 42 Sun 26th Aug 2012
Brimoan I was offered some cheap cigarettes on the street about a year ago but I do not smoke and would not buy any for another person.
I do not know the full story but I saw the person being arrested a few hours later. 17 45 Sun 26th Aug 2012