ARDEN HEIGHTS — A man was arrested after police found more than 2,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes in his home and car, prosecutors said.
Police carried out a search warrant Monday on Wenheng Zhao's BMW and home on Forest Green, Staten Island, and found 2,287 cartons of cigarettes with Virginia stamps on them, according to his criminal complaint.
Zhao, 42, had 98 cartons in his car and an additional 2,189 in his home — a total of about 457,400 cigarettes, prosecutors said.
Police got the warrant to search Zhao's home after he sold unstamped cartons to undercover officers twice this month, according to his complaint.
On Nov. 3, Zhao sold 56 cartons to undercover officers near the corner of Bay Street and Fingerboard Road and and 52 more to officers near his home Nov. 18, prosecutors said.
Zhao was charged with evading cigarette and tobacco products tax at his Tuesday arraignment and his bail was set at $50,000, the Staten Island District Attorney's office said.
His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
