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Illegal Cigarettes Seized
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 17, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 17, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Federal agents seized tons of cigarettes being illegally sent to the U.S. The Daily News reports that a DHL employee provided the tip, which led to finding the cache of cigarettes at JFK. A Swiss company, Otamedia, has been selling cigarettes over the Internet. A carton of Marlboros would run $13.95, which could mean a savings of $50 without paying for various taxes. And if you happened to order cigarettes online, be warned - the authorities are investigating the addresses the cigarettes would have been shipped to. Gothamist supposes this kind of airport intrigue is what should make a concept like NBC's drama-in-an-airport LAX interesting, but for some reason, it's much more interesting to read about it in the papers.
New York City, which has very high cigarette taxes, has filed a complaint against Otamedia, which has had trouble with tobacco giant Philip Morris for selling cigarettes online. Mayor Bloomberg wanted people to "blow the whistle" on the local bodegas that sell them ciggies without tax. And here's the city's Everybody Loves A Quitter program to stop smoking.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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