A joint investigation by Bristol Township police and Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Bureau of Criminal Tax Investigators netted an Upper Southampton man on charges she tried to sell untaxed cigarettes, which she is alleged to have illegally purchased out of state.
Shannon Kennedy, 37, of Temple Road, planned to turn around the cigarettes, which were purchased in Virginia, to customers in the 1500 block Haines Road in Bristol Township, police said.
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After receiving a tip from a confidential informant, police and state agents set up a sting on Saturday. A state agent worked undercover and Kennedy tried to sell him seven cartons, which amounts to 140 cigarettes, according to court papers.
A state agent recovered three cartons of cigarettes in her car and 370 more in his Upper Southampton home.
Smuggling of cigarettes from Virginia has become more common in recent years. The state’s tax per a carton of cigarettes is $3, while in Pennsylvania that same carton will have roughly $16 in tax. A CNNMoney.com article says the ATF estimates cigarette smuggling from Virginia costs the government nearly $5 billion in taxes on a yearly basis.
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Kennedy was arraigned before District Judge Jan Vislosky on charges of sale of untaxed cigarettes and possession of unstamped cigarettes. She was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.
Editors Note: An earlier version of this article stated seven cartons equaled about 200 cigarettes. In reality, seven cartons equal about 140 cigarettes. Also, it was later revealed via court documents that Shannon Kennedy is a male, not a female, as the article previously stated.
