Albany Area Woman Arrested For Allegedly Smuggling Cigarettes From Canada

Smoke em’ if ya got em’! Unless, of course, they’re from out of state. A Hadley woman got wacked for allegedly possessing cigarettes that did not have state stamps on them. Cindy Watkins is facing charges of misdemeanor possession of unstamped cigarettes and criminal tax fraud.

State police took the woman into custody once they found cigarettes without state stamps that were believed to have come from Canada.

There were recent talks that President Obama is contemplating raising taxes on cigarettes nationwide (again). His proposal would hike prices 94 cents per pack. If it goes through, I would expect more cases like this to pop up.

The situation isn’t anything new, though. When I went to SUNY Plattsburgh there was a ton of nearby Indian reservations where my classmates would pick up cartons and cartons of smokes, even when prices were “cheaper.” Granted, some of the students would illegally sell the packs individually at a discount out of their dorm room but that’s neither here nor there.

Point is, stogies are expensive as $h*t. Addicts will always find a way to skirt around state prices, especially in New York where 20 ciggs cost as much as 10 double cheeseburgers from McDonalds.

The average price of a pack of cigarettes nationwide is about $6. In NY state, you’re looking at over $10 per pack.