IL lawmakers consider state tax increase

If cig taxes keep going up (including state taxes), there might be a point where a gas station will be lucky to see a sale of a cig pack at all.

But then again, the numba of stolen packs will definitely go up everytime the tax goes up within Crook County.

ARTICLE LINK

Cops charge resident of cig theft

>>>"Convenience Store News recommends that store owners determine typical daily cigarette sales and limit the number of cigarette cartons on view."

This is actually good advice. But all I can say is a robber is still gonna demand the clerk to eitha take him/her to the room where the cartons are stored, or basically demand the clerk to "Pull out EVERY carton of so-and-so you have!" And of course, if the clerk ain't fast enough, the robber will grab the cartons fasta.

Just cause you don't have too many cartons on display doesn't mean the robber won't even botha holding up the gas station or C-store. I'm sure he/she knows there are cartons in the joint. And he/she WILL find em. Those cartons are hidden just like most of the money within a bank being in a safe.

I don't think any C-store can estimate how many cig sales they have on a daily basis anyway. Like one day, a C-store could sell 10 Newport packs and 20 Marlboro packs. But the next day with rainy weather, that C-store will be lucky to sell 10 packs of ANY cig brand.

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http://www.post- gazette.com/ pg/09106/ 963017-57. stm It was a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. Two Carnegie police officers, Sgt. Jeff Kennedy and Patrolman Dennis Lawrence, observed a person shortly after 3 a.m. last Thursday running from the BP gas station at East Main and Chestnut streets. The man had a bandanna around his face, was dressed in dark clothing and was carrying a military-style duffel bag. When the fleeing man ignored the officers' orders to stop, a foot chase ensued and he was apprehended on Sansbury Street. Inside the duffel bag police found 23 cartons of various brand-name cigarettes worth more than $1,200. Shortly after the apprehension, Allegheny County police dispatch notified Carnegie police of a burglar alarm sounding at the BP Station, where police found that glass in the door had been smashed with a hammer and cigarettes stolen. Charged with burglary, criminal mischief, theft and possessing instruments of crime was Michael P. Begliner, 22, of Carnegie. He was taken to Allegheny County Jail. With cigarette costs on the rise, so are thefts, according to a recent issue of Convenience Store News magazine, which believes that the sale of contraband cigarettes is increasing because the items are portable, light and can be resold for nearly full value. Convenience Store News recommends that store owners determine typical daily cigarette sales and limit the number of cigarette cartons on view.

Good luck in trying to bust smokers who save on cheap cigs

You definitely can't catch a person trying to buy cigs at a cheapa price if that person is armed all of the time, even while out in public. :)

But cigs are the LEGAL product that's smuggled in the most? Gee, I wonder why. Maybe the program called "SHITIP" rings a bell?

I can't believe some states are more worried about catching people trying to save money on cigs. Trying to catch smokers who steal smokes now is one thang. But trying to catch someone BUYING cigs cheap?

That "goodie smoker" who's buying the legal product instead of stealing it might know a thang or 2 about self-defense.

At least Arkansas admits they can't catch every smoker saving money on cigs, but they can bust the business who sell cigs cheaply. Sh!t, good luck in just trying to shut a business down like that. A lot of those "illegal cig retailers" are in the same class as criminals. :)

I know the idea of ANY state trying to stop as many smokers as they can from buying cigs cheaply (let alone those who wanna get their cigs in criminal fashion) is gonna lead to the NEXT incident in the Tobacco Prohibition era.

What incident is dat? Well, let's just say it deals with cops going afta smokers who buy cheap cigs AND those who steal the smokes on a speed chase. And I thought speed chases were limited to folks who steal $$$.

I wouldn't even rule out the idea of an illegal tobacco business greeting cops with "smoke" of a different kind when they come knocking to bust the joint.

At least I think I'm doing somethang good in helping online smokers hear my take on these recent events cause of my hood-like mindset. But I CAN agree with goodie smokers it's funny to hear of cops taking down robbers/busting joints that sell illegal stuff when that "illegal stuff" is actually a legal product!

The fact tobacco is legal is the funny aspect of these crimes to me. It ain't like these southern smokers are going to Missouri to stock up on J's instead of cigs.

PS: Since when did buying any legal product become a crime in itself? F ALL politicians in the USA!

Tobacco retailer gets murdered in his home-based business

All I'm gonna say I bet those "squares" inside of this guy's house was the M.O. behind his murder. Not the moolah he made from selling cigs. The moolah is a bonus of course.

I'm sure you'll even hear more news stories similar to this one in the future. Cept it might be cops busting cig dealers with stolen cartons/packs in their hideouts. Instead of the otha way around with a man who used his home as a cig store and got murdered.

You likely familiar with weed dealers getting busted. But it's gonna be CIG dealers getting busted too for selling (stolen) packs illegally as this year progresses.

Of course, if you the type of person who doesn't like reading about murders, feel free to ignore this.

PS: Yes, I'm aware all packs sold by dealers ain't necessarily stolen. Packs can also be imported (and sold) into the US in the same way weed is smuggled into this country.

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http://www.bnd. com/breaking_ news/story/ 727122.html

EAST ST. LOUIS -- -- The St. Clair County States Attorney's Office has issued first degree murder charges against three men in connection with the-shooting death of an 80-year-old East St. Louis man.

Spencer Brewer, who sold loose cigarettes, packs and cartons of cigarettes from his home at a cheaper price than they could be bought retail, was found dead March 29 and covered with clothing and debris inside his home in the 500 block of Gray Boulevard. He was shot in the chest near his heart, police said, and intruders took the security bars off of a rear door.

East St. Louis Detective Michael Floore said the three suspects are relatives and were charged with first degree murder and residential burglary. Dennis Edwards, 45, of-65 High Pointe in Belleville; and his nephews, George Edwards, 27, of 740 N. 51st St. in East St. Louis, and Santez Edwards, 23, formerly of 4812 State St. in East St. Louis, are each being held in the East St. Louis Jail on $1 million bond.

Brewer was the father of 11 children, six girls and five boys. His son Stanley Brewer said the man lived alone, kept to himself and never let customers inside his home. Police said Brewer sold the cigarettes through the front door.

Brewer was well-known and well-liked by the community, family members said. Stanley Brewer said he couldn't think of a single enemy his father had.

On Sunday afternoon, Det. Michael Floore said Dennis Edwards knew the victim and had bought cigarettes from him from time to time.

Brewer had a lot of loose change in the house when his body was discovered. Floore confirmed that the suspects stole some of the victim's money and that an anonymous tip led police to their suspects.

East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. said he wanted to thank and commend the men and women of the East St. Louis Police Department along with any others who assisted in the investigation.

"While it is always very, very unfortunate when you hear of homicides in any community, it is somewhat gratifying when you can see that justice is about to be rendered to those individuals who perpetrated such a horrible crime," Parks said.

RE: Antismoking commercial

As I told Dee in the Maine group, those NY antis who produced that commercial are full of sh!t. She hinted there are lots of antismoking commercials up there similar to the one I saw.

And I wish I could chainsmoke a half of a pack in antis' Fkin faces within an enclosed room.

I wanna see if em inhaling SHS from my chainsmoking makes em die, since THEY the ones who said for years SHS kills.

Well we can put that lie to the test if an anti is brave enough to sit with a bro for at least an hour in an enclosed room. I can assure the person I promise not to have a gun on me. Just a pack and a lighta, and the tray for the room. LOL

And then afta my chainsmoking session is over, I'd expect to hear an apology from the anti for lying about SHS killing nonsmokers. (If SHS kills, that "boy" would've died from inhaling my own smoke, right?)

If an anti can't even say "I'm sorry for lying about SHS killing nonsmokers," he betta make up his mind if he wants to keep living period before leaving that room!

(I said I wouldn't have a gun on me in that hypothetical SHS experiment with an anti. But I neva promised the anti he can leave the room with no harm from me by him not admitting he's a liar like the rest of em. HA HA HA!)