PROVIDENCE — An undercover criminal investigation in which three men pleaded guilty to trafficking in contraband cigarettes has borne more illicit fruit, federal authorities said yesterday.

U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and Glenn N. Anderson, special agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced that seven men have been indicted on drug-peddling and firearms offenses in the same probe, which focused on a convenience store on Federal Hill in Providence.

The investigation was “based” in and around Broadway Mart, 447 Broadway, Corrente and Anderson said in a statement. Thomas Connell, spokesman for Corrente, said that because the foundation for the indictments are a confidential grand jury matter he was not yet free to elaborate on how the store figured into the investigation.

“ATF developed information over the course of several months about individuals who wanted to sell drugs or guns — and about other illegal activity,” said Mark W. Curtin, special agent in charge of the ATF office in Providence. “Adept undercover work, with considerable help from Providence police, enabled us to develop evidence supporting the federal charges against these seven individuals.”

The seven were identified as:

•Stephen Zinno, 54, of Pawtucket, who was charged with two counts of distributing crack cocaine and one count of conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes, which are cigarettes in packs not bearing the required Rhode Island tax stamp.

•Antonio Arce, 39, address unknown, charged with two counts of possessing with intent to distribute heroin.

•Jordan Lucas, 21, of Providence, charged with two counts of possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

•Wesley “Young” Harrison, 20, of Providence, charged with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

•Jeffrey Patrick, 20, of Providence, charged with distributing crack cocaine.

•William Squadrito, 41, of Cranston, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

•Stanley Alston, 39, of Providence, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Six of the seven defendants have pleaded not guilty before a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court and are being held, according to the authorities.

When Patrick was arrested, on Saturday, by the Providence police, they allegedly found cocaine on him and he was charged with a state offense and is being held in state custody, according to Connell. Patrick will be arraigned in U.S. District Court later, he said.

The three other men who pleaded guilty to trafficking in contraband cigarettes are: Bassam Khalil, of Cumberland, Hussam Ghanam, of Pawtucket, and Mohamed Amir Tatari, of Johnston.

In September, about two months before the trio were indicted on the cigarette charges, Broadway Mart was sold to new owners, a couple from Warwick with three children. The new owners, Mahmoud Hassan, 32, and his wife Rasha, 33, said they know little about the criminal case.

gsmith@projo.com