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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed in Southern California recently confiscated a large quantity of illegally imported cigarettes from two cruise ship passengers last month.
At the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, officers uncovered around 150,000 cigarettes, packed into 749 cartons and distributed across 10 pieces of luggage. This discovery was made when a couple arriving from Ensenada, Mexico, was inspected on April 17, as detailed in a press release by CBP.
Investigation into the incident may continue, notes FOX 11 Los Angeles, and the women may be subject to penalties for violating import laws.
Approximately 749 cartons of cigarettes were seized in the operation: these included 326 cartons of Newport 100s, 210 cartons of Marlboro Golds, 112 cartons of Marlboro Reds, 58 cartons of Newport regulars, and 43 cartons of Marlboro Silvers. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
But the “immediate consequence,” Ruiz noted, “is that now there is a negative record and, by default, they have incurred a significant loss of nearly $60K.”
That loss, Ruiz continued, is realized in the seizure and destruction of the cigarettes.
“Travelers who intentionally disregard U.S. importation laws and regulations often pay a high price,” Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, said in the release.
