New York tax officials say they have confiscated 1,513 cartons of contraband cigarettes and nearly 49,000 illegal tax stamps worth $500,000 and arrested four people following surveillance in the Bronx and in Buffalo.
According to the Department of Taxation and Finance, the arrests of two men on felony charges followed the search of a stash house in the Bronx.
There, they seized 1,127 cartons of cigarettes that carried Virginia or counterfeit New York tax stamps, as well as 45,644 counterfeit stamps.
In Buffalo, investigators say they searched a residence and took 386 cartons of illegal cigarettes, 1,045 cigars, 3,180 fake tax stamps, $23,000 in cash, and a 2014 car.
Two other men were arrested on felony charges.
All four men have been released with future court dates.
