EMPORIA, Va. — A man was arrested by Virginia State Police (VSP) in Emporia Wednesday for allegedly trafficking more than a thousand cartons of untaxed cigarettes from North Carolina to New York.
Youzhen Chen, a 57-year-old from the Queens borough of New York City, was charged with transporting untaxed cigarettes across state lines, a class 6 felony, according to VSP.
His arrest happened after VSP got a tip from the U.S. Marshal Service about a vehicle that was possibly trafficking cigarettes. A state trooper found the vehicle as it pulled into the Relax Inn in Emporia.
After Chen left the vehicle and went into a hotel room, the trooper saw cases of cigarettes clearly visible in the back of the vehicle, matching the description the U.S. Marshal's Office shared, VSP said.
The trooper made contact with Chen, who gave permission to have his vehicle searched. VSP said 1,050 cartons of untaxed cigarettes were found and seized. Their value in Virginia is $52,500, while in New York, they would be worth $126,000.
Police took Chen to the Southside Regional Jail. He didn't get bond.
