Holy Smokes! NJ Woman Admits Trafficking $9.5M Worth Of Cigarettes

A New Jersey woman with dual citizenship in Jordan admitted Thursday to trafficking cigarettes from Virginia to New Jersey and New York, where she made a heavy profit off selling the tobacco products.

Facing a 15-year prison sentence, Laila Alayat, 37, pleaded guilty in Virginia and admitted to helping create shell companies in that state, where the cigarette tax is the lowest in the country at $3 per carton, Roanoke.com reported.

Tax on cigarette cartons in New Jersey is $27, and $58.50 in New York City.

Alayat and a partner, Eyad Salahadin, 39, also of New Jersey, were indicted in March on charges they purchased millions of dollars worth of cigarettes from wholesale stores in Virginia by using cash, a previous report on Roanoke.com said.

Salahedin will go to trial in the case, which is set for Aug. 29, washingtonpost.com reported.

Alayat was arrested in February at JFK Airport in New York after she made it through security. She was headed for Jordan despite being free on bail, nj.com reported.