Here is a story with something for everyone: Big Tobacco, Islamic terrorists (yes, I said that; sue me), Hezbollah, CAIR, the ATF, Koreans, Italians, Bloomberg, and Exxon, Glenn Beck, and the Vatican have gotta be in there somewhere.
Undercover ATF agents in Virginia have funneled more than 250 million cigarettes onto the nation’s streets in the past three years through black market sales targeting smugglers, an Associated Press review has found.
[...]
Many of those cigarettes undoubtedly wind up in the mouths of minors, since black market vendors have no reason to turn away teenage purchasers.
Despite that, government auditors and anti-tobacco groups want the ATF to do even more.
So… Our friends at the BATF are selling cigs to kids. And the anti-tobacco groups want them to crank it up. Why? Because NYC has, by far, the highest tobacco taxes in the country. So why is BATF focusing on these rings that sell in the city? Because the NYC city government is losing significant tax revenue.
The Department of Justice, the ATF’s parent agency, estimates that federal, state and local governments lose out on $5 billion annually in tax revenue from cigarettes sold through illegitimate channels.
So the feds are trying to maintain the city’s tax collections.
…Eastern District of Virginia, which includes Richmond, northern Virginia and the Interstate 95 corridor. The area is a hotbed for the crime because while 42 states and the District of Columbia have collectively passed more than 80 tax hikes on cigarettes since 2002, Virginia and North Carolina, the heart of tobacco country, still tax tobacco at only pennies per pack.
“The profit margin on this is ridiculous,” said Ashan Benedict, resident agent in charge of the bureau’s office in Falls Church, Va. “It’s not that hard to find a customer who wants to save $40 a carton.”
That’s a very interesting comment, coming from a fed. It’s profit if smugglers do it. When the city taxes it away, is it still a ridiculous profit margin?
The Virginia agents say they focus on cigarette smuggling in large part because the investigations often turn up other crimes. The ATF’s Richmond office went so far as to set up its own store in King George, Va., called KG Wholesale, which advertised in Arabic-language newspapers and elsewhere. The store was set up with audio and video surveillance to record the transactions, all of which were illegal undercover sales.
Uh-oh. Profiling. They’re setting up stings for Arabic speakers only.
The planners of the storefront sting were aware that cigarette smuggling has been a source of terrorist funding in the past – in 2002 a federal jury in North Carolina convicted two Lebanese citizens of diverting millions of dollars in cigarette smuggling proceeds to the radical Islamic group Hezbollah – and were anxious to disrupt other similar money trails.
Agent Ken Mosley is confident that investigations like the KG case disrupt terror financing, but he acknowledged evidence was insufficient to bring terrorism charges.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we have arrested people involved in terrorism,” Mosley said.
Now they dunnit.
The focus on Arabic-speaking smugglers in the KG Wholesale investigation – the store did not run ads in other foreign-language papers – smacks of profiling, said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group.
“Obviously it would be a concern if they targeted only Muslims and/or Arab-Americans,” Hooper said.
Well, Dougie, you may have a point there.
The focus on Arabic-speaking smugglers in the KG Wholesale investigation – the store did not run ads in other foreign-language papers – smacks of profiling, said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group.
“Obviously it would be a concern if they targeted only Muslims and/or Arab-Americans,” Hooper said.
But they aren’t the only ones involved:
Benedict and Fairfax County Police Lt. David Smith had the Korean smugglers convinced they were Italian mobsters. In the KG case, Mosley said agents would get angry or cagey if their customers asked where all the cigarettes were coming from.
And to round out the roster of unsavory characters, we have:
In fact, the cigarettes come from the same places the legitimate ones do: Big Tobacco. Under an ATF program, tobacco corporations supply cigarettes for stings and are repaid with the proceeds from the sales.
So it’s all a big conspiracy to put money in the hands of (gasp!!!!!!!) Big Tobacco at the expense of NYC taxpayers!!!!!11 But I shouldn’t be telling you about this, because you’re probably getting kickbacks, too.
Tags: BATF, Big Tobacco, CAIR, Conspiracies, Hezbollah
wow!
i’m surprised the illuminati werent involved!
Big Tobacco is behind Obama’s problems.
Italian Mobsters, that means the Vatican is involved somewhere.
I’m still waiting for my denier check.
coldwarrior wrote:
Their involvement will be highlighted in part 2.
Rodan wrote:
And he still smokes, what a fantastic conjunction! He’s financing his own enemies!
Rodan wrote:
When will the JUICE be implicated?
FurryOldGuyJeans wrote:
cool! ’cause it aint a real conspiracy unless the Illuminati or the cfr are involved!
OK, give us the skinny on AGW deniers,wherever big tobacco appears they aren’t far behind.
Snork, you left out the “Rushdooney cult”. And I’m sure Sen. James Inhofe is involved with this, some how! ///
coldwarrior wrote:
No real conspiracy is complete without the JUICE being involved either.
No conspiracy theory is complete without mention of the Zionists.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
Well if theres a hezbollah connection, the mossad are on it without a doubt.
Did anyone else hear an echo?
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
GMTA
Oh crap, snork, you pulled this from my hometown paper, the Tacoma [Washington] News Tribune. So very appropriate since the editors are big on conspiracies, the VRWC type ones.
mjazz wrote:
PMTA in my case
HOLY CRAP! All that happened right here where I live!
WTF?
OT:
Let the games begin. Hussein reassembling his election team to advise congressional races.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/us/politics/24union.html
@ vagabond trader:
Reveals incomprehension.
@ vagabond trader:
That’s proof that there is a G-d.
@ vagabond trader:
Why did he disband the team in the first place? He’s done nothing but continue campaigning since he was inaugurated.
About a year and a half ago, the convenience store down the road from me was run by a Pakistani man. I always went in there and talked to him. First, he got arrested for using the credit card numbers from a POLICE OFFICER that came in there. Got a slap on the wrist for it. THEN, he got busted for selling smokes that he had shipped up here from Delaware…hence no PA taxes. He no longer runs the store.
LOL, methinks Hussein should purchase a few truckloads full of these tax free ciggies.
@ NoThreat2U:
Gah, my once favorite place to gas up was taken over by muzz males of unknown origin. They are of the hostile to females leering types and I never go there anymore.
Remember a while back I was taking names for an NGO to supply Barry with continues cigs?
There were quite a few great candidates: Cancer-for-Commies etc.
Big Tobacco and ATF. BFF.
Where is the DHS? Has it updated its lexicon yet?
@ vagabond trader:
BAFT already skimmed a few million ciggies off the top for the SOTUS, no charge.
@ Overlook:
DHS is on crotch watch duty until further notice.
governance = campaigning
@ vagabond trader:
Actually he was a very nice man. Being the smart assed bitch that I am, I usually showed up wearing my USMC sweatshirt or Tshirt. lol We used to talk a little politics. He disagreed with invading Iraq because the terrorists came from Saudi Arabie. I always wondered if he was genuinely nice or if it was all bullshit. Still not sure. lol
@ waldensianspirit:
Marlborough Mannequins
Holy Smokes
Fumers sans frontieres.
@ vagabond trader:
Ha!
@ NoThreat2U:
They lie, be careful with them especially the men. I’m serious.
Doug Hoffman was the first sensation, plus he is leading all GOP opponents.
http://jumpinginpools.blogspot.com/2010/01/doug-hoffman-was-first-sensation.html
@ vagabond trader:
I agree. I was careful. Made sure I showed up with the old man a few times just to be clear. I really really hate distrusting people like that. It makes me angry that THEY made me this way.
timbok wrote:
wow! annother drive by blog-pimping…thats 2 in one day.
lemme tell ya a story, shithead. i used to tend bar in a town that had a bunch of bars. the clientele would go to whatever bar they felt like, no biggie, even the owners and the staffs would go where ever they pleased. if the owner of a bar went to another bar, he would have a drink or two, shoot the breeze, amybe get a burger or some wings…its cool.
the bars are kinda like the blogs, see. we dont care if you pimp your blog here, but at least contribute to the conversation here while you do it…look at how dorian does it, works great.
you are starting to get on our nerves, timbok
@ vagabond trader:
I went to a place owned by muzzes & one guy said the other guy was his brother and the other one said the first guy was his cousin.
If you are going to lie at least get your story straight.
Why would anyone be surprised at this? This kind of thing is the norm when tax revenues are involved. For example, denatured alcohol is plain grain alcohol that has been made poisonous on purpose. The dentaturant does nothing for the function of the alcohol (thinning paints and lacquers, cleaning parts, etc.). As a matter of fact, the alcohol would probably work better without the poison for things like cleaning parts. However, because the government might lose some revenue to hard core alcohol addicts, manufacturers are forced by law to make a product that is dangerous to children and users. If any eeevil corporation was deliberately selling poisoned products to prevent people from using it instead of one of their flagship, high-profit products, people would he howling in protest and shouting for laws. When the government does it? …
mjazz wrote:
there is a lebanese grocery near here, after 9/11 the two brothers that run it made very sure everyone knows that they are christian. its almost like walking into a church now!
@ NoThreat2U:
Hey, its one of those “cultural” things they bring with them. Women are chattel,just the way it is in their world.Its up to them to adapt, not us.
@ AZfederalist:
I once worked at a plant that made artificial vanilla. Most of the product was sold as a crystalline powder, but occasionally, they’d want to make a few bottles of liquid. It was actually cheaper for us to just go to the liquor store and buy a few bottles of everclear than to get the permits needed to handle undenatured etoh. And the places that do, somebody has to leave his scrotum for a deposit.
snork wrote:
now that is ridiculous right there.
Rodan wrote:
OT– Rodan & Admins, I received two unusual emails from Patterico today and I forwarded them to you. I’ve never spoken with Patterico, so I don’t know why he/she sent the messages. Check the Blogmocracy in box.
The question is: “WHO IS ELLIE LIGHT?”
http://www.memeorandum.com/100122/p88#a100122p88
Methanol’ll do a number on you right quick. 10 ml blind; 30 ml dead.
@ Bunk X:
Ellie Light = E. Lite (Elite). That is my opinion.
@ vagabond trader:
Well they need to understand that in OUR cultural, we women don’t just sit back and take it. We can be as tough as our men
NoThreat2U wrote:
ahhhh….right on.
good eye!
@ coldwarrior:
Dude that popped right out at me when I first read about it.
NoThreat2U wrote:
maybe we can start our own and call her ‘peg gressive’
coldwarrior wrote:
Patterico’s got more here.
http://patterico.com/
NoThreat2U wrote:
when i saw it i was trying to remember the ben franklin pen name
@ coldwarrior:
Ha! Good one!! Maybe I can use that one the Timesonline forums. lol
@ coldwarrior:
OMG…go here. He had a slew of them!
http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_wit_name.html
NoThreat2U wrote:
you go into that unwashed pit of leftie commie dems…
‘keep votin dem, them mills are gonna open up again!’
@ coldwarrior:
I love the letters to the editor. These people round these here parts aint to swift sometimes. lol lol I usually go to see what they are bitching about at the moment. One of the people who comment there i know personally. It is refreshing to see some sanity around this county. I only check it online…I refuse to buy that liberal rag.
NoThreat2U wrote:
i’ll go and buy a newspaper before i would use a free copy of the bct for drop-cloth!
@ coldwarrior:
I agree. Reading through it makes me feel like I live in Berkley sometimes. Clueless idiots.
vagabond trader wrote:
I don’t think he’s going to be able to pull it off. He has shown too much of himself. We’ll see through any effort he makes to hide who he is. No one will trust a new Zero who has miraculously shed his big commie plans and become a centrist or populist. He is too much of an ideologue to do that.
And Sasquatch can NEVER successfully pretend she is proud of this country.
They are who they are. They hate Amerikkka.
@ chickadee:
WTF? Can someone point me to the job description of the POTUS? Because it sure seems like he keeps sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong.
coldwarrior @ 40:
That’s like the Egyptian guy who used to frequented the same lunch counter I did, most of the customers knew he was a Coptic Christian but right after 9-11 he made sure everyone knew he wasn’t a Muslim by wearing a necklace with cross outside his shirt.
We used to bust his chops on that one. Good guy he hated mooslins.
vagabond trader wrote:
Look how many muzz have taken over motels everywhere. Even small mom and pop places.
What’s up with that? BTW, the quality has gone down everywhere the muzz insinuate themselves.
Re: The Topic. What a mess. I guess it’s too much to ask that the Government stop trying to interfere with people’s consumption of a legal, albeit harmful and disgusting, substance and maybe concentrate on just um… I don’t know, securing the borders and keeping the terrorists out?
I do believe that the Templars will have to be eliminated to
protect the conspiracy.
When is the next Friday the 13th?
Beltfed wrote:
he hated them because of the massive abuses they go through in egypt by the stinking muslims. its disgusting.
@ chickadee:
I have a theory about this. I think these folks are brought over here and given a business to run for about two years. Then they get their citizenship. I notice the owners are only around for a small period of time before another foreign group takes over. What do you think?
What about Israel, the Discovery Institute, and Christian Creationists?
@ CloudyDay:
Well D’uh! It all started with Israel. If they would just give up a little more land…….
///This shouldn’t be necessary
OT/ Riqa Bary update:
“Rifqa Bary to Remain in Foster Care Until Age 18″
Rifqa Bary is a dependent of the State of Ohio
Parents Give Up Fight to Regain Daughter Who Fled to Be Christian
NoThreat2U wrote:
Could very well be. I do know they don’t take much pride in running the motels. I would like to stop all muzz immigration. asap.
@ chickadee:
I dont really frequent motels enough to have an opinion on that. I am just thinking of the convenience stores. Although, I have heard that you would be hard pressed to find a hotel or motel in Nashville that isn’t run by a foreigner.
CloudyDay wrote:
That girl needs to get herself a gun and be prepared to use it. Certainly based on what we have witnessed here and around the world. There are people who want to harm her. Honor Killing is real.
@ NoThreat2U:
i’m all for legal immigration of all peoples, except muslims.
@ chickadee:
i hope she goes to college, meets a nice burly and strong christian veteran, and they live happily ever after.
that would drive her scum parents crazy!
@ coldwarrior:
They cannot be trusted. Just like the discussion with Wrath the other night. You cannot seperate a muslim from islam. They are one in the same. Their ideas of governance run contrary to those of this country. They are incompatible with democracy. End the immigration now unless they renounce islam. Hell, I wouldn’t even mind if they were atheist!
NoThreat2U wrote:
their book allows them to denounce islam if needed in order to pursue jihad against the infidel…
@ coldwarrior:
Hence my first line: They cannot be trusted. lol
Right now I wish we could deport treasonous commies of the elected persuasion.
@ vagabond trader:
Ha!
WT hey??? This is so pre 9/11 it defies comprehension. Is this occurring because of long term degradation of our security or a direct result of the anointing of BHO?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/22/terror.plot.passenger/index.html?hpt=T2
I think that when she is 18 & emancipated she should get back to I believe Florida, with the Christian Church that was helping her.
One of her mentors there is a Muslim apostate, so he knows the dangers.
0bama raised the taxes on tobacco by more than 2000.00%, and regular cigs by a significant amount, of course smuggling is going to go way up.
I’m also glad that NYC is losing out on revenue, because it was a stupid thing to do. Smokers are easy targets nowadays.
@ Mad Mullah:
Yup, It’s ridiculous. Off course there’s a black market.
I haven’t smoked in years, but all of this talk about cigarettes is making me want to run out & get a pack of Marlboros.
The Husky Bloogger is now hosting a pity party for himself over the Jonathon Dees NY Times article.
Did anyone read the cleveland.com article about Ellie Light? At the end ellie responds to questions about her multiple residences with this:
Ms. Eaton,
I just saw that you included your phone number as well, and for such enthusiasm, I should probably provide you with a further explanation, instead of being quite so coy. In my other letter to you, I said I was disheartened by the lack of support for the President. But perhaps more importantly, the lack of thorough, well-reasoned arguments that can be found on both sides of this issue. As I’m sure you’ve observed, Obama became quickly as polarizing has Hilary ever was, and few people can see past their emotions on the issue. Most public discourse includes terms like “Wingnut,” “Drink the Kool-aid,” “Socialist” and other far less polite terms. I get called “trash” and “Crypto-Stalinist,” not only by the Sarah Palin fans, but by The Left, who is furious at The Prez for not opening up the health care debates to CSPAN cameras.
So the reason why I expanded my submission was because I found that editors were eager to present a point of view on the topic that wasn’t so overheated and angry. Indeed, I think the viewpoint that my letter expressed was less important to the editors than the even and non-emotional tone.
ellie
Wow, it is just like an iceweasel response to a question.
RIX wrote:
awe. . . the NYT is a down right mean newspaper.
He was an idiot to think they would not take a swipe at him.
They know what he has abt. them in the past. He is so naive.
chickadee wrote:
LGF parted ways with the right, and apparently the left doesn’t want them either.
@ chickadee:
The NYT could have been exceptionally mean and quoted some of the banter leading to flounces.Pretty demented stuff. Or confront him with Kirlys book of the banned and Defensemans crazed screeds. Lucky I’m not in charge.
Rodan wrote:
You have to wonder where some of these idiot politicians get their ideas from, the Joe Stalin school of economics?
Oh no this is priceless, queeg is doing a post mortem of his NYT post mortem
See, this is the kind of comment he claims to delete, not reasoned debate or disagreement.LOL!
RIX wrote:
So he answers with a strawman. The NYT article said:
That doesn’t mean they’re commenting exclusively, it simply means they’re responsible for the majority of the comments. So Chuckles searches for the total number of commenters. He either can’t read, or is trying to change the subject.
Have any of you taken a peek at the swamp? Talk about needing your ego stroked. My goodness.
snowcrash wrote:
Draw your own conclusions.
@ NoThreat2U:
rotflmao, its actually funnier than the interview,like the lightbulb just flickered on.
@ vagabond trader:
Perhaps you might want to slip them a little Latin or something?
@ NoThreat2U:
And twisting other peoples’ statements.
vagabond trader wrote:
sloop1 better be careful! selrahC might take him up on that!
@ Macker:
Pig latin!
On the New York Times site, under their “MOST POPULAR LIST” – Right-Wing Flame War! is currently number 5 on the blogged list.
436 of which are TFK’s sox, which leaves 13 per day.
What a sad group of individuals over there. What a joke. It is actually making me giggle!
And that’s not counting Chucky’s sox, of which I suspect there are many.
vagabond trader wrote:
That too! 1 MILLION UPDINGS!
@ snork:
Given all the evidence, I say she is paid propagandist with some PR group. Ellie and ice are both weasels.
@ snork:
ROFLMAO*********** +1
This gets 10 updings:
Oy.
NoThreat2U wrote:
At first, I was kind of angered by the whole thing, but now I truly find the whole situation amusing and even hilarious at times.
@ snowcrash:
my guess is move on or some other Soros creature.
@ snork:
Veysmir
Now they’re saying Dee is Cognito. Proof positive that most of them are TFK sox.
Ope!
As Sharmuta growls from her litter box…
@ snork:
LOL!
Now they’re doing fireman pr0n.
@ vagabond trader:
The article came out yesterday. How many times did CJ have to re-read it to figure out just how insulting it was? LOL. I look forward to reading his continual rehash of the article and re stating his point of view over and over and over. Dude is predictible in his responses!
If one of us had said this, it would be “homophobic”:
snork wrote:
What’s his name?
O. M. G. Ponies, 11ty!!!!!!!!!1111
171 Charles Sat, Jan 23, 2010 3:13:40pm
That F’ing ignoramus with an IQ small enough to fit on his dick has the chutzpah to call Althouse clueless? I’m starting to be persuaded that the dood has a real woman problem.
@ davehm:
As Sharmuta growls from her litter box
Snort! Now that there’s funny!
NoThreat2U wrote:
Goodood grief, no! In fact, one of the first things I did after bootingup this ancient machine (last used in ’96) was delete the Favorites entry for LGF. Then I added Blogmocracy.
@ snork:
Yep, and Patrick Frey, DA in LA (Patterico) is clueless too. Only CJ really gets it. lol
I can tell ya that if I were Pam Geller, there would be some legal shit happening. Cato and his Pam “Smearnoff” Geller remark? Where the hell was Sharmuta the feminist when he said that? I. Would. Be. Pissed. Comments like that should make that blog a pariah amongst the blogosphere.
@ Mad Mullah:
It is hilarious!!
@ NoThreat2U:
Pam’s taking the high road. Why, I have no idea.
Althouse is excellent!
@ snork:
Part of me understands that. The mean spirited bitch part of me doesn’t though. lol
Naked conspiracies? Llyndon LaRouche was right!
The entire Ellie Light letter writing campaign is fascinating. She gets her letter published in almost 50 different newspapers and no one checks if her address is legit? Her pro Obama letters must have really struck the editors as opinions too true and insightful to be fake. I want to laugh, but really, could the media be more in the bag for this prez?
@ snowcrash:
i have spent a good 45 minutes reading about this…its fascinating and very telling.
@ snowcrash:
Wow, it is just like an iceweasel response to a question.
Hmmmm. Interesting observation.
@ coldwarrior:
Cold, did you read all the comments in the cleveland.com article? Ellie responds.Patterico has excellents comments too. I swear, the righty blogosphere is full of “operatives” doing the same thing. They all sound alike and use similar strategies. I remember a sharp rise in “trolls” before the prez election, but I think I was using the wrong word. A “minder” or astroturfer is more likely. wow.
@ Poteen:
Yep, Ellie never did answer the question about why so many different addy’s. Just blustered on and on, using straw men, deception and changing the subject. Very familiar tactic of iceweasel.
snowcrash wrote:
i’ll go with the orchestrated operative
The Sunstein connection to “Ellie Light” is disturbing. That creep, unlike most of Obama’s associates, is smart enough to be dangerous.
Has everyone already seen and laughed about the newest video, Lizard Lounge: The New York Times Meltdown? It is at Atlas Shrugs, and is hilarious.
@ snowcrash:
lol,another classic.
[...] Undercover ATF agents in Virginia have funneled more than 250 million cigarettes onto the nation’s… [...]