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ATCC warns of counterfeit cigarette stamps, reiterates Master Settlement enforcement role
Summary
At an Economic Matters Committee briefing, ATCC officials described rising counterfeit Maryland tobacco stamps, described master settlement enforcement obligations, and detailed inspection volumes (about 6,500 retailers statewide and roughly 40% inspected annually). The agency said it can cite and pursue criminal and administrative penalties for violators.
Agency leaders told the Economic Matters Committee that tobacco enforcement remains a major focus — from retail inspections to litigation tied to the Master Settlement Agreement — and that counterfeit stamps have emerged as a growing problem.
"There are operations significant operations in Maryland going to North Carolina, buying a lot of cigarettes that are not stamped... literally in their houses or in buildings have ironing boards and irons and pages of fake stamps that they're ironing on," ATCC Executive Director Jeff Kelly said, describing diversion investigations that led to search warrants.
Kelly reminded the…
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