Untaxed cigarettes, tobacco sold without a license and illegal flavored vapes seized from city shops are set to be destroyed. A city notice published Oct. 19 by the Police Department says the products, taken during inspections by the New York City Sheriff’s office, were subject to forfeiture.
The notice says the destruction is authorized under sections 11-4021, 11-4024, 11-4025 and 11-4026 of the city’s Administrative Code, or other applicable law.
What counts as an “unauthorized product”
The notice lists three categories. The first is cigarettes or tobacco products on which city tax was not paid, or cigarettes missing the required tax stamps.
The second is cigarettes and tobacco offered for sale by someone without the required retail or wholesale license.
The third is any flavored tobacco product, flavored e-cigarette or flavored e-liquid sold, offered or held for sale in violation of the city’s flavor rules.
Why publish a notice at all
The notice serves as public word that the goods are about to be gone for good, and it gives anyone with an interest in them a place to ask.
Anyone with a claim or question about the seized products is directed to the NYPD Civil Enforcement Unit, by email at ceuoath@nypd.org or by mail to 375 Pearl Street, Box 39, New York, NY 10038.
The arrangement is a little unusual: the Sheriff’s office did the seizing, but the Police Department is handling the paperwork on the back end.
What the notice does not say
The notice refers to a table listing the stores and seizure dates. That table was not part of the notice text available to NYC In Focus, so this report cannot name the businesses.
The notice also gives no quantity or value for the products and no date for their destruction.
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