Illicit cigarette trade

Trade in tobacco goods which fail to comply with legislation Cigarettes found hidden in concrete blocks Cigarettes concealed by a hidden compartment cut into a book The illicit cigarette trade is defined as "the production, import, export, purchase, sale, or possession of tobacco goods which fail to comply with legislation" by the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Illicit cigarette trade activities fall under 3 categories: Contraband: cigarettes smuggled from abroad without domestic duty paid; Counterfeit: cigarettes manufactured without authorization of the trademark holders, with intent to deceive consumers and to avoid paying duty; Illicit whites: brands manufactured legitimately in one country, but smuggled and sold in another without duties being paid. Cigarette smuggling, also informally referred to as "buttlegging", is the illicit transportation of cigarettes or cigars from an jurisdiction with low taxation to a jurisdiction with high taxation for sale and consumption. The practice, commonly used by the tobacco industry, organized crime syndicates and rebel groups, is a form of tax evasion. Interstate 95, a highway traversing the East Coast of the United