DOVER, Del. (AP) - A bill aimed at cracking down on cigarette smugglers in Delaware has been cleared for a final vote in the General Assembly.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last year, was released Wednesday by a House committee for a vote by the full House.
The bill would make it a felony to traffic in cigarettes that are not taxed in Delaware.
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The current maximum penalty for selling or possessing untaxed cigarettes, no matter the amount, is a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail. Lawmakers say that is not enough to deter traffickers who move black-market cigarettes from low tax states to be sold in higher tax states.
Delaware currently allows a person to bring in no more than nine packs of cigarettes from another state without penalty. While stiffening the penalties for smuggling, the bill allows a person to bring in up to 20 packs from another state.
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