But we don't want to be caught unprepared now that the potential for smuggling has increased. Privately, investigators confide that they already have developed information about organized, sophisticated trafficking networks that are smuggling tax-free cigarettes into or through New Jersey. Carrying more than 300 cartons of cigarettes across state lines without paying applicable sales taxes is a federal offense. What hurts the smugglers more, Fox said, is the loss of the load, which is destroyed, and of the vehicle used to transport it, which state authorities most times will ask a judge's permission to keep. In one case, they found a van packed with nearly 3,000 cartons in Carneys Point, at the turnpike's southern tip.
Confidential informants generate some of the leads.
An alert toll-taker may even spot a sedan crammed with cigarette cartons and summon state police. But the best tips, authorities say, come through the industry itself. They know that store has to be getting their cigarettes from someplace. Interestingly, while federal and state authorities emphasize cooperation, they also admit to conflicting strategies. Countless loads also are smuggled though Indian reservations, where they can be bought tax-free, Green said.