Three Arrested in Smuggling of Cuban Cigars Into California
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From Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — The leader of a group smuggling thousands of Cuban cigars into California was charged with illegally trading with an enemy of the U.S. government, federal officials said.
Joseph Bruce Hybl, 41, and his girlfriend, Julie Ann Chatard, 35, were arrested Thursday. Each faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The arrests climaxed a federal investigation dubbed Operation Smoke Ring.
Also arrested was Jack Robert Bramy, 49, on charges that he helped Hybl smuggle 25,000 Cuban cigars into the U.S. through Mexico.
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