17 Southland Residents Charged in Cigarette Smuggling Scheme

Seventeen Southern California men have been charged in a bicoastal smuggling scheme that authorities said illegally moved millions of cigarettes from Virginia to California, Nevada and New York. Authorities said the operation defrauded California out of $5 million in cigarette taxes.

Participants in the scheme bought millions of cigarettes in Virginia, where the tobacco tax is 2.5 cents, and illegally sold them in California without paying the state tax of 87 cents per pack, officials said.

The retail value of the cigarettes was nearly $18.6 million and the tax loss to the state about $5 million, they said.

Officials said most of those charged were from Glendale, North Hollywood and Northridge, and that four were still being sought.

Those charged are John Kamar, Mikhael Kamar, Rene Khaja, Suren Ambarchyan, Henri Minassian, Vicken I. Djeredjian, Akop Chichyan, Mnatsakan Grigorian, Mirakyan Masis, Rafik Asatryan, Ruben Israelyan, Armen Grigoryan, Georgiy Grigoryan, Serob Boyadzhyan, Manvel Iskandaryan, Albert Asatryan, and Azat Stephanyan.