U.S. Southern California Customs seized a batch of smuggled cigarettes from Ensenada, Mexico, totaling 749 boxes, about 150,000 cigarettes, with an estimated value of nearly $60,000, at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on April 17. At that time, two female passengers were carrying ten pieces of luggage out of the country and were subject to random inspection. The smuggled cigarettes were neatly placed in the luggage, but they were confiscated on the spot by customs due to the lack of import licenses. Based on the market price of $80 per box of cigarettes in California, the Customs and Border Protection Agency preliminarily estimated that the total value of the smuggled cigarettes was $59,920, and they will be destroyed in accordance with the law to prevent them from returning to the market. This action is considered to be the largest seizure of smuggled cigarettes at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port since this year, highlighting the customs department’s strict law enforcement efforts in maintaining national tax revenue and consumer safety.
In the United States, the import of tobacco products is strictly controlled by federal law. All bulk tobacco products identified as commercial use must apply for import licenses from the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), otherwise they will face confiscation or even criminal penalties. In addition, imported cigarettes must also comply with the labeling standards of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that the nicotine content and health warnings are indicated on the packaging to protect consumers’ right to know and safety. Even though the cigarettes intercepted this time were accompanied by legal purchase invoices, they were identified as illegal imports due to the lack of necessary compliance procedures and were eventually destroyed.
In terms of specific brand distribution, the smuggled cigarettes included 326 boxes of Newport 100, 58 boxes of Newport Regular, 112 boxes of Marlboro Red, 1,043 boxes of Marlboro Silver and 210 boxes of Marlboro Gold, which are popular brands. Customs officials pointed out that these brands are in high demand in the U.S. market, but due to the high tax burden, they can often be resold at lower prices in the underground market, creating illegal profit space. The high sales of well-known brands such as Newport and Marlboro also attract smugglers to make them their main smuggling targets in order to make high profits.
According to the survey data of the Customs and Border Protection Bureau, the average retail price of each box of cigarettes in California is between 80 and 100 US dollars. If this smuggling is circulated in the underground market, it may bring more than 60,000 US dollars in illegal profits. However, behind this profit is the serious problem of tax evasion, which has shaken the stability of national fiscal revenue and weakened the ability to supervise the quality and safety of tobacco products. CBP officials emphasized that large-scale smuggling not only erodes government tax revenue, but also may flow into uninspected inferior products, posing potential risks to public health.
During this operation, Cheryl M. Davies, deputy director of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Operations Department, pointed out that the import of tobacco products is highly controlled at the tax and consumer safety levels, and any attempt to circumvent relevant regulations will pay a heavy price. At the same time, port director Africa R. Bell also warned that illegal imported cigarettes often bring huge profits to the underground black market due to their low cost and tax evasion advantages, but will cause serious damage to the legal market and consumer interests.
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While regulating the management of smuggled cigarettes, promoting legal and compliant high-quality alternatives such as VEEHOO e-cigarettes can effectively guide adult smokers away from high-risk illegal markets and cigarette products of unknown origin, reduce public health risks, and protect consumer rights. Relevant government departments and industry enterprises should further cooperate to improve the regulatory system of the e-cigarette market, strengthen the construction of product traceability systems, and ensure that consumers can buy and use them with peace of mind.
Overall, the action of the US Southern California Customs to intercept smuggled cigarettes not only demonstrates the strength of the customs’ supervision of tobacco products, but also reminds us to focus on the promotion of legal, safe, and innovative alternatives while cracking down on illegal cigarettes. With its technological and service innovations, VEEHOO e-cigarettes provide adult smokers with a viable harm reduction option and inject more positive energy into the market. In the future, we expect more brands like VEEHOO to participate in the cause of tobacco control and harm reduction, and jointly maintain public health and legal market order.
Tags: smuggled cigarettes, ceramic atomizer core, flavored e-cigarettes, veehoo vape