From: Vice
How Illegal Cigarettes Get Smuggled and Sold in New York City
I spent a day with a guy who traffics “loosies” in Staten Island.
Solange Uwimana
High cigarette taxes in New York City feed the black market on the street. Photo via Flickr user David Tan
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Photo via Flickr user Steve Snodgrass
It’s illegal, but Lato isn’t hiding what he’s doing, nor is he furtive as he pockets dollar after dollar. After all, there are no uniformed police officers in sight.
He pays a mere $50 for one carton, each of which contains ten packs, and claims to sell anywhere from six to ten cartons a day. That adds up to at least $300 in gross sales—not counting what he makes from selling loosies one or two at a time.
