On the heels of the Maryland General Assembly’s failure to impose harsher penalties on cigarette smugglers, Comptroller Peter Franchot announced today that agents from his Field Enforcement Division confiscated more than 14,000 packs of contraband cigarettes from two smugglers in three separate incidents within the past three months. Prior to their arrest on Monday, officials arrested the pair in March and April for possessing and transporting a cumulative total of approximately $90,000 worth of contraband cigarettes.
“This is a prime example of why we need stronger penalties for cigarette smuggling,” Comptroller Franchot said. “Unfortunately, the minor penalties involved in this illegal activity cause some unscrupulous individuals to thumb their noses at state law. It is for this exact reason that I urged the General Assembly to mandate stronger penalties for smuggling.”
In three separate traffic stops, members of the Maryland State Police (MSP) contacted the Comptroller’s Field Enforcement Division after observing a large amount of cigarettes in a vehicle being occupied by co-defendants, Stephon Leroy Wilkins, 49, and Chaniqua R. Rhodes, 40, both of Bronx, NY.
The details of the stops are as follows:
1. On March 5, 2012, the duo was stopped on U.S. Route 13 in Princess Anne (SomersetCounty) by MSP Trooper First Class D. Tebbens for a traffic violation. From this stop, both were arrested and 5,800 packs of cigarettes worth $34,684 seized. They were later released on unsecured bonds.
2. On April 2, 2012, they were stopped once again on U.S. Route 13 in Princess Anne (SomersetCounty) by MSP Corporal Kevin Mareck for a traffic violation. Again, the officer arrested the pair and seized 4,690 packs of cigarettes worth $28,046. This time they
were held on a $10,000 bond.
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