An Upper Southampton man is headed to trial on charges that he tried to sell untaxed cigarettes, which he is alleged to have illegally purchased out of state.
Shannon Kennedy, 37, was charged in August with sale of untaxed cigarettes and possession of unstamped cigarettes. At his preliminary hearing Tuesday, both charges were forwarded to common pleas court in Doylestown, according to court records.
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Kennedy was arrested following a joint investigation by Bristol Township police and Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Bureau of Criminal Tax Investigators.
According to police, Kennedy brought hundreds of cigarettes and planned to resell them. The smokes were purchased in Virginia and transported north, authorities said.
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, to customers in the 1500 block Haines Road in Bristol Township, court papers say.
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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.
Kennedy is currently out on unsecured bail.
