Office of the State Treasurer
NEWS RELEASE
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACTS: Kathy Hennessy |
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| December 20, 2004 | |
(609) 984-7110 |
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| Taxation
Agents Seize 9,097 cartons of Counterfeit Cigarettes in Lodi |
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 TRENTON
– State Treasurer John E. McCormac and Director Robert K. Thompson
announced today that the Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal
Investigation seized 9,097 cartons of untaxed cigarettes from a self-storage
facility in Lodi, N.J.. Treasurer McCormac and Director Thompson also
announced the creation of a hotline dedicated to the reporting of contraband
cigarettes.Acting
on a tip from a confidential informant that a unit in the self-storage
center contained counterfeit cigarettes, Taxation agents obtained a warrant,
conducted a search, and confiscated contraband cigarettes with an estimated
retail value of over $566,000 on Nov. 30.“We
continue to work aggressively to prevent the illegal sale of cigarettes,
a practice which can bring violators huge profits while depriving the
State of tax revenue,” said Treasurer McCormac.McCormac
thanked the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance
in the seizure. “Together, we averted a possible tax loss to New
Jersey of over $250,000,” McCormac said.To
stop further losses from the illegal sale of untaxed, smuggled or counterfeit
cigarettes, the Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation
is operating the TIP (Tobacco Interdiction Program) hotline at (609) 984-1225.
Anyone with information regarding contraband cigarettes is encouraged
to call the TIP hotline.“The
seizure and the creation of the TIP hotline demonstrate that New Jersey
is dedicated in its resolve to enforce State tax laws,” Thompson
said. |
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