NOTE: The Maryland Office of the Attorney General shared the following press release:
BALTIMORE – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that Saad Al Qutaibi, 40, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty and was sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to illegally import untaxed cigarettes into the state and evade Maryland’s cigarette tax. This investigation was led by the Attorney General’s Fraud and Corruption Unit and the Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission (ATCC).
Between September 4, 2024, and October 16, 2024, Al Qutaibi imported untaxed cigarettes from North Carolina into Maryland, stamped them with counterfeit Maryland cigarette tax stamps, and then resold them to customers without paying the State’s $5 per pack tax on cigarettes. On October 16, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the headquarters of the conspiracy in Baltimore City and recovered more than 8,000 packs of untaxed cigarettes and hundreds of counterfeit Maryland tax stamps.
“Maryland’s tax laws exist to ensure a fair and level playing field for businesses and to provide the revenue that supports essential government services,” said Attorney General Brown. “Schemes involving counterfeit tax stamps, cigarette smuggling, and tax evasion undermine that system and cheat Maryland taxpayers. This case demonstrates that our Office will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who seek to profit through fraud.”
“Concerns for public health and fair business practices are driving forces behind much of the work that the ATCC does in tobacco enforcement,” said ATCC Executive Director Jeffrey A. Kelly. “Cigarette taxes are essential to the State’s public health initiatives to treat addiction, prevent minors from accessing tobacco, and deal with the long-term cost of smoking related illness. This successful prosecution ensures that bad actors cannot profit at the expense of Maryland citizens, and protects a fair and competitive marketplace for thousands of responsible Maryland businesses.”
On June 9, 2026, Al Qutaibi pleaded guilty before the Honorable Lawrence Fletcher-Hill of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to one count of conspiracy to transport unstamped cigarettes, one count of conspiracy to possess a counterfeited tax stamp, and one count of possession of more than 30 cartons of unstamped cigarettes. Judge Fletcher-Hill sentenced Al Qutaibi to serve 30 days in jail and pay over $68,000 in restitution to the State. Judge Fletcher-Hill also ordered that Al Qutaibi be placed on three years of probation. If he violates probation, he faces nearly eight years of potential incarceration.
In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked Criminal Division Chief Katie Dorian, Fraud and Corruption Unit Chief Alexander Huggins, and Assistant Attorneys General Kathryn Bartz and William Elman, who prosecuted this case. Finally, Attorney General Brown thanked State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Ivan Bates for his assistance with this prosecution.
