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Monday, October 05, 2009 08:18The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is all but ignoring the lucrative cigarette-smuggling racket, says the Center for Public Integrity. Citing a report by the Justice Department’s inspector general, the center says just 2 percent of the ATF’s budget over the past six years has gone toward cigarette smuggling, is controlled by organized crime.
With cigarette taxes as high as $4.25 per pack in New York City, smugglers can reap huge profits on cartons of tobacco products. The Public Integrity blog linked below includes a closer at transnational cigarette smuggling by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
