Michigan Cracks Down on Illegal Cigarette Sales

Treasury department begins intensifying enforcement efforts on those who illegally manufacture and sell cigarettes.

May 12, 2011

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Treasury (MDT) announced plans earlier this week to begin intensifying enforcement efforts on those who illegally manufacture and sell cigarettes, WLNS.com reports.

"We sent notices to about 300 businesses around the state," said MDT spokesperson Terry Stanton. "Some businesses are using rolling machines to create cigarettes and therefore then sell packs of cigarettes and that is illegal ?? [I]t??s against the law to sell a package of cigarettes that hasn't been stamped with a tax stamp."

A carton of cigarettes in Michigan currently costs about fifty dollars, with an automated roller-produced carton ?" one that eliminates the state tax ?" lowering the price to about thirty dollars.

Stanton said his department intends to being prosecuting violators and that it is also trying to bust those who intentionally mislabel cigarette tobacco as pipe tobacco, which is taxed at a lower price.

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