Cigarette Bootlegging

1073 Words3 Pages

Cigarette Bootlegging is one of the most common but seemingly underlining crimes in the United States. Growing up in a younger generation, the smoking of cigarettes in general is a very common and socially acceptable act. According to research, Cigarette Bootlegging is considered a tax administration problem which originally developed back in 1965. (“Cigarette Bootlegging: A State AND Federal Responsibly.”) Since cigarettes are such a widely used, but dangerous addicting tobacco product, the government has found that raising taxes on cigarettes increase the government’s profit. However, when taxes are raised, it is common that bootlegging increase as well. By general definition, bootlegging is the act of producing, selling, distributing, or transporting a substance for sale illegally. (“Bootlegging.”)

Based on the 1977 Commission Report called Cigarette Bootlegging: A State AND Federal Responsibly, Cigarette Bootlegging is common crime that back then was difficult to detect for six of the following reasons. Firstly, cigarettes are small objects, meaning they were easy to conceal for the purpose of smuggling across the U.S. borders. Secondly, people who disobeyed the laws prohibiting bootlegging knew that their penalties were not severe; therefore they were not easily deterred from committing the crime. Thirdly, the act of Cigarette Bootlegging had not been made a Federal offense and the large interstate nature has impeded all law enforcement efforts. Fourthly, people were addicted to how great the profits were from the criminal act of bootlegging. Fifthly, criminals who participated in organized crime were constantly searching for crimes to commit with high profit potential, which cigarette bootlegging defiantl...

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...rg/columns/marketplace/business-news-briefs/2010/06/a_new_york_city_pack_of_cigare.html>.

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