Where There Is Smoke…Comes Organized Crime In Virginia

Cigarette smuggling has become organized crime in Virginia. The Commonwealth currently has the second lowest cigarette tax in the country. The Virginia Crime Commission says that is attracting crime groups from other states. Many former drug dealers have switched to peddling contraband smokes instead of narcotics; because they can buy a pack of premium cigarettes for about $5.55 in Virginia and sell it for a big profit on the black market in New York City, where a higher cigarette excise tax pushes the retail price to about $14 a pack. The General Assembly last year directed the commission to study illegal cigarette trafficking and make recommendations before the 2013 legislative session, which begins in January.