1 million smuggled cigarettes seized in traffic stop near Theresa
Apr. 24—THERESA — More than 1 million smuggled cigarettes were confiscated on April 14 following a traffic stop by U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellesley Island Station Anti-Smuggling Unit with the assistance of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
A press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Border Patrol agents responded to the traffic stop initiated by sheriff's deputies on Route 411.
The Border Patrol agents and sheriff's deputies found more than 50 cardboard boxes that contained 1,025,000 noncompliant, loose cigarettes. They said that further investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, revealed that the loose cigarettes were not manufactured in the United States and were determined to have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $336,000.
"Discovering and removing illicit and unregulated tobacco products is one of the many enforcement actions we take to safeguard our nation and the community," Patrol Agent in Charge Andrew Regan said in a statement. "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."
The cigarettes and vehicle were seized for destruction/forfeiture by the U.S. Border Patrol. The trafficking of smuggled tobacco products in New York remains illegal under state and federal law.
