U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellesley Island Station Anti-Smuggling Unit assisted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of more than one million smuggled cigarettes.
On April 14, Border Patrol agents responded to a traffic stop initiated by sheriff’s deputies on State Route 411. Through investigative steps, Border Patrol agents and sheriff’s deputies discovered more than fifty cardboard boxes that contained 1,025,000 non-compliant-loose cigarettes. 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 MSRP 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,” said Patrol Agent in Charge Andrew Regan. “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 state remains illegal under state and federal law.
