Police seize $5,000 in illegal cigarettes during Armidale traffic stop

Police seized more than 7,000 illegal cigarettes, valued at approximately $5,000, during a traffic stop north of Armidale. The discovery occurred after the driver of a black Jeep was arrested following a positive drug test and the detection of a cannabis odor.

Zakaria Abdo, 29, was a passenger in the vehicle at the time. According to court documents, Abdo admitted the two large boxes of tobacco products in the backseat belonged to him. His solicitor stated that Abdo had cleared out his shop in Sydney and was transporting the cigarettes to Guyra for destruction.

Abdo pleaded guilty to a single charge of unlawfully obtaining goods at Armidale Local Court. Although he initially missed the hearing due to influenza, he appeared shortly after for formal sentencing.