From: LegislativeGazette.com
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced early last week the creation of a task force to combat illegal cigarette sales he says rob the state of tax revenue.
The governor has tapped the head of the Tax Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, Michael Spinosa, to lead the effort.
The Cigarette Strike Force is comprised of 13 state, local and federal
agencies and will focus on preventing counterfeit or untaxed tobacco
products from making their way into New York and identifying and tracing
revenue from their sale. Agencies including the New York State
Department of Taxation and Finance; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives; District Attorney’s Offices and police will
combine resources to expand their databases and share information in
order to tackle major trafficking organizations. Revenue seized by the
task force will be shared among participating agencies and the penalty
for possession of unstamped cigarettes is $600 a carton — which contains
10 packs.
