Two brothers were arrested in Ocean City accused of a cigarette smuggling scheme.
42-year old Basel Ramadan has been described as the ring leader and boss of – what authorities called an untaxed cigarette distribution enterprise -- along with his 39 year old brother Samir Ramadan considered his right hand man.
Police seized $1.4 million in cash along with three handguns.
The paper reports that a 303 page indictment charges the two with control and disbursement of cash from the enterprise.
Tthe two are now awaiting extradition to New York where they are charged as fugitives from justice and wanted by authorities there.
Authorities charge that the two generated more than $10 million in profits from illegal activities.
Meanwhile,there is a 244-count indictments against 16 men that has been handed down charging them with enterprise corruption, money laundering and related tax crimes.
Only one of the suspects is not in custody, and is believed to have traveled to Jordan last week.
(See: Salisbury Daily Times)
Alleged Terrorist Ties
New York authorities say the traffickers have links to "known terrorists" including Omar Adbel-Rahman, the blind sheik who is serving a life sentence for conspiracy in to blow up New York landmarks in the 1990's.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that New York City Police Commissioner says that one of the men indicted previously ran a business in during that decade that was partly backed by the blind cleric.
He said that another was a "confidant" of a Lebanese immigrant who shot a van full of Hasidic Students in 1994.
And, a third suspect lived in the same building as the secretary of a key Hamas fundraiser and leader during the 2000's.
The paper reports that the New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman this is not the end of their investigation.
