NEW YORK- Two Worcester County brothers who pleaded guilty in a cigarette smuggling conspiracy in New York have been sentenced.
Basel and Samir Ramadan's home in West Ocean City was raided last October. Prosecutors said the brothers and a co-conspirator sold untaxed cigarettes from Virginia in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Officials said they distributed more than 1.25 million cigarettes, evading hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes.
On Tuesday, Basel Ramadan was sentenced to two to four years in prison. Samir Ramadan was sentenced to one and a half to three years behind bars.
As part of their plea deal, the Ramadans also forfeited $367,088 in illegal proceeds.