Southern CA customs officers intercept massive cigarette smuggling attempt

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Southern California have reportedly seized a massive haul of illegally imported cigarettes intercepted from two cruise ship passengers last month.

Officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport discovered roughly 150,000 cigarettes, stored in 749 cartons across 10 pieces of luggage, from a couple arriving from Ensenada, Mexico, on April 17, according to a CBP press release.

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CBP estimated the seizure — which included, but was not limited to, 326 cartons of Newport 100s and 210 cartons of Marlboro Golds — to be worth some $59,920, assuming a low-end selling price of $80 per unit.

“This is definitely a big bust,” Jaime Ruiz, the CBP’s Strategic Media Engagement Branch Chief for most of the Western U.S., told Fox News Digital. Ruiz called it “one of the largest we’ve seen at the LA:Long Beach seaport complex.”

The women presented themselves for inspection after disembarking at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal, at which point the cigarette stash was found. 

Despite providing purchase receipts, they were unable to produce permits for transportation of such a quantity of tobacco products.

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“Selling illegally imported cigarettes could yield high profits for underground vendors due to the low cost of cigarettes when purchased overseas and the evasion of taxes owed upon import,” said Africa R. Bell, CBP Port Director of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, according to the release. 

“This type of scheme not only evades revenue owed to the United States but may be harmful to the American consumer,” Bell continued, noting that “CBP officers at our nation’s largest seaport complex remain committed to enforcing our laws and to protect the American public.”

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Investigation into the incident may continue, notes FOX 11 Los Angeles, and the women may be subject to penalties for violating import laws. 

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.