A crackdown on underground cigarette dealing spearheaded by the Queens D.A.’s office has resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of over 4,000 cartons of bootlegged cigarettes. At a press conference yesterday, D.A. Richard Brown stood behind a mountain of cigarette cartons which have been seized over the past three months; the smokes were smuggled into New York from overseas and out of state, and included the seizure of 22,000 untaxed cigars and nearly $400,000 in money and property. Heh, looks like investigators really smoked out these smugglers. Brown said the defendants cost NYC and the state $270,000 in tax revenue. [ more › ]

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Smokers’ Rights Advocate Scoffs At Big Bootleg Cigarette Bust