More Than 1 Million Illegal Cigarettes Seized At New York Border
More than 1 million loose cigarettes were seized at the New York border. Border Patrol agents and sheriff’s deputies discovered the illegal cigarettes.
The Price Of Cigarettes Increased In New York State
If you're a smoker, you know just how expensive cigarettes are in New York.
Cigarettes and little cigars - $4.35 per pack and an additional $1.50 per pack in NYC
According to Tobacco Free Kids, the tax increase designated in the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Executive Budget pushed New York State into the #1 spot of highest cigarette taxes in the United States. Previously, we were in second place, behind D.C., which levies a $4.50 tax on cigarettes.
The revenue bill that passed as a part of the 2024 FY Budget includes a tax increase on all cigarettes sold in the state, with the exception of native cigarette sales,
Such tax on cigarettes shall be at the rate of five dollars and thirty-five cents for each twenty cigarettes or fraction thereof, provided, however, that if a package of cigarettes contains more than twenty cigarettes, the rate of tax on the cigarettes in such package in excess of twenty shall be one dollar and thirty-three and three-quarters cents for every five cigarettes or fraction thereof. Such tax is intended to be imposed upon only one sale of the same package of cigarettes.
U.S. Border Patrol Agents In New York Seize Illegal Cigarettes
U.S. Border Patrol agents with the Wellesley Island Station Anti-Smuggling Unit were called to help the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on a traffic stop on State Route 411 in Jefferson County. The area is close to the Canadian border. Officers found more than 50 cardboard boxes filled with 1,025,000 non-compliant-loose cigarettes. The cigarettes have a retail value of more than $336,000. The cigarettes were destroyed by border agents.
Patrol Agent in Charge Andrew Regan said, “Discovering and removing illicit and unregulated tobacco products is one of the many enforcement actions we take to safeguard our nation and the community. The partnership the Border Patrol has with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is crucial in the prevention of criminal organizations from profiting and exploiting the trafficking of potentially hazardous tobacco products.”
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