Cigarette Smuggling On Rise in Maryland

21 people have been arrested for smuggling untaxed cigarettes in Baltimore County so far this year.

Cigarette smuggling in Maryland is on the rise, according to Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot. "We've got an epidemic of this smuggling in our state," Franchot said during a Thursday news conference in Towson with Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger. Police confiscated 10,000 packs of alleged contraband cigarettes during a traffic stop near White Marsh. More than 3,100 packs were seized in a stop involving a Honda Accord two weeks ago. The state comptroller said his office has prosecuted more cases of cigarette smuggling "in the last nine months than we have in the previous five years." In Baltimore County, there have been 20 formal cigarette smuggling investigations since mid-2006 resulting in the arrest of 28 …

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