A Staten Island man involved in the illegal trafficking of more than a half-million packs of cigarettes from Virginia to New York City was sentenced to more than three years in prison Wednesday.
In pleading guilty in September to conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes, Wen Heng Zhao, 43, admitted that from March 2014 to November 2016, he oversaw the purchase of at least 517,050 packs of Virginia-stamped cigarettes that were transported to New York.
Virginia taxes cigarettes at $3 a carton, while the combined state and local tax in New York City is almost $60 a carton, allowing for substantial illegal profit. Authorities complain that the illicit industry draws criminals and their money into Virginia and the destination of the sometimes enormous profit is often not known.
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9 comments:
NY takes advantage of its addicts.
Just like drug mules, arrest/put away one, 3 more sprout up! Drugs are a major problem along the eastern seaboard, peddling cigs - come on.
1:01 PM: Did you realize that millions of dollars profited from the transportation and sale of untaxed cigarettes is shipped out of the US to be used by terrorist organizations that hate the United States? Do some research on the topic.
Ironically, there's no smoking in prison.
sounds like a great business opportunity to me
states create the problems then punish those who solve them.
I never understood why Maryland arrests people for transporting untaxed cigarettes through the state. New York loses money on the deal but it doesn't affect Maryland one bit. And every time the idiots in Annapolis raise the tobacco tax they collect less money because Maryland residents just go to Delaware, Virginia or West Virginia where taxes are lower.
It is about time those Ramadon's that got sent away for the same crime should be getting out. Probably will go right back to it.
101 look up death caused my smoking vs drug overdoses. Then FIX your comment. Thanks.
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