By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- More and more people will be travelling to Indiana to buy cigarettes with the new state tobacco tax going into effect Thursday, but there is a limit to the amount you can bring back into Michigan.
Berrien County Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Travis said Michigan law states it is a misdemeanor to transport between 1,200 and 2,999 cigarettes across the state line. It is also a misdemeanor to transport between $100 and $250 worth of other tobacco products across the state line.
Travis said it is a five-year felony to transport more than 3,000 cigarettes or more than $250 of other tobacco products across the state line.
She said it is a pretty rare charge, but the Michigan State Police will occasionally make a traffic stop on a vehicle with a large amount of out of state tobacco.
Travis said there is also a state law that requires a Michigan cigarette tax stamp to be on each pack of cigarettes sold by Michigan retailers.
This stamp is used to prohibit businesses from purchasing untaxed cigarettes from outside sources.
She said there are occasional cases brought against retailers who sell tobacco products without the required stamp.
According to the State of Michigan's website, the state will "conduct aggressive enforcement action against the importation or illegal sales of untaxed/unstamped tobacco products."