Authorities say nine people have been indicted on charges of illegally smuggling cigarettes from Virginia to Maryland, and nearly 15,000 packs of contraband cigarettes have been seized.
The indictments were announced Thursday by Maryland state comptroller Peter Franchot and prosecutors in Prince George's County, Md.
Officials say smugglers who buy cigarettes in states such as Virginia, where the tax on a pack is 30 cents, can illegally resell them in higher-tax states such as Maryland, where the tax is $2 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
The nine indicted list addresses in New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
All told, Franchot says 115 people were arrested in a cigarette smuggling crackdown in Maryland for the fiscal year ending June 30 and more than 180,000 packs of cigarettes were seized.
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