Kingston Tobacco Shop was raided by authorities and is no longer permitted to sell any tobacco products. On Wednesday, August 17, a carefully coordinated raid was carried out on four different tobacco shops in New York, resulting in all four locations losing their tobacco sales permits and two alleged shop owners being arrested.
According to a report from News 10, authorities seized 74 boxes of pre-rolled tax-free cigarettes, over 14 boxes of out-of-state tax-free cigarettes, 10,675 tax-free cigars, approximately 565 pounds of tax-free loose tobacco, 13 cigarette rolling machines, and 57 pounds of illegal marijuana.
One of the shops targeted in a raid was located in Kingston, New York's Gison Plaza. Jing Inc., a smoke shop located at 214 Kingston Plaza Road, was searched by state police and tax officials on Wednesday. Following the search, 33-year-old shop owner Jing Yang was arrested for possessing untaxed cigarettes. Yang was taken into custody on September 21, 2022, and released on bail. He is due to appear in Kingston City Court, with his bail refunded.
Authorities also raided three other tobacco shops north of the Hudson River, including Smoke Shop Huang Inc at 1554 Central Ave, Albany; Mei Inc at 365 Feura Bush Road, Glenmont; and Rolling R Inc at 564 Hoosick Street, Troy, NY. All four shops have lost their permits to sell any and all tobacco products. One of the shop owners, 44-year-old Yuqing Huang, has been charged with two felony counts of first-degree criminal possession and sale of marijuana. He has also been accused of possessing untaxed cigarettes and cigars.
Tax and finance commissioner Amanda Miller told News 10, "Those who evade our cigarette and tobacco tax laws deprive communities of necessary revenue for important services and put honest businesses at a competitive disadvantage. We will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners, including the New York State Police, to bring tax criminals to justice.
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