U.S. Border Patrol Agents and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies Seized More Than $300,000 in Smuggled Tobacco Products
THERESA, N.Y. – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellesley Island Station Anti-Smuggling Unit assisted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of more than one million smuggled cigarettes.
On April 14, Border Patrol agents responded to a traffic stop initiated by sheriff’s deputies on State Route 411. Through investigative steps, Border Patrol agents and sheriff’s deputies discovered more than fifty cardboard boxes that contained 1,025,000 non-compliant-loose cigarettes. Further investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, revealed that the loose cigarettes were not manufactured in the United States and were determined to have a MSRP of more than $336,000.
“Discovering and removing illicit and unregulated tobacco products is one of the many enforcement actions we take to safeguard our nation and the community,” said Patrol Agent in Charge Andrew Regan. “The partnership the Border Patrol has with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is crucial in the prevention of criminal organizations from profiting and exploiting the trafficking of potentially hazardous tobacco products.”
The cigarettes and vehicle were seized for destruction/forfeiture by the U. S. Border Patrol. The trafficking of smuggled tobacco products in New York state remains illegal under state and federal law.
Buffalo Sector is responsible for securing the border between ports of entry in New York and Pennsylvania encompassing 341 linear maritime border miles. The assistance of citizens is invaluable to their border security mission, and they welcome community members to help them keep our nation’s borders safe and report suspicious activity at 1-800-331-0353.
For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.
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