Three Edmond men have been named in a 59-count federal indictment that accuses them of illegally profiting from the sale of more than $3 million in untaxed cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. Three Edmond men have been named in a 59-count federal indictment that accuses them of illegally profiting from the sale of more than $3 million in untaxed cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. Khawer Saeed Ghill, 40, Ahsan Ullah, 41, and Asmat ... Jump to full article >>

NEW DELHI: ‘Extremely high’ excise duty on cigarettes in India has increased the incentives for contraband trade in the country, estimated at Rs 1,700 crore, according to a Euromonitor International study. The illicit cigarette market in terms of volumes has grown by 57.7 per cent during 2004 to 2009 in India, as per the study commissioned by industry body Assocham. Commenting on the findings, Tobacco Institute of India Director Uday ... Jump to full article >>

Federal authorities are rounding up 41 people indicted in an alleged $11 million Monroe County contraband cigarette ring and related crimes. None of those named lives in Monroe County, says the U.S. Justice Department for Pennsylvania’s Middle District and the federal Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The vast majority are from metropolitan New York. Two live in Philadelphia, one is from Allentown, one is from Michigan a ... Jump to full article >>

Philip Morris USA (PM USA) filed lawsuits today against eight retailers for selling counterfeit versions of the company’s Marlboro® brand cigarettes in New York and New Jersey. These lawsuits are part of the company’s on-going efforts to stop the sale of counterfeit cigarettes and the unauthorized use of PM USA’s trademarks. “These lawsuits highlight that counterfeit cigarette traffickers continue to operate in the New York metropolitan ... Jump to full article >>

A study published Wednesday by a Montreal business school using Canadian federal data suggested lowering tobacco taxes had little effect on consumption. Canadian tobacco taxes have a package of 20 selling for about $9 in Toronto as the federal tax authorities, customs officials and police grapple with a burgeoning contraband cigarette market. Packs of cigarettes can easily be purchased for as little as $2 each in Toronto, decimating legitimate s ... Jump to full article >>

Prices for contraband cigarettes have doubled and supplies have dwindled in eastern Ontario and western Quebec since a border post at Cornwall, Ont., was moved due to a dispute with local Akwesasne Mohawks. “The local suppliers or dealers in Cornwall or other cities like Ottawa — they’re at the bottom of the list for the product,” said RCMP Sgt. Michael Harvey. “The priority is to get it to other aboriginal communities ... Jump to full article >>

Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Washington, D.C. – In a major victory for public health and New York taxpayers, a federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y. has ruled that cigarette selling businesses based on Indian tribal lands are not exempt from federal, state or New York City tax laws. Judge Carol Bagley Amon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has issued a preliminary injuncti ... Jump to full article >>