4 ms·

Are there illegal markets for booze and tobacco?

by dscrd 13y ago

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
munin 13y ago
yes[1][2][3] 1. http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/cigarette-smuggling-adds-71144/ http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/cigarette-smuggling-... 2. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/illegal-tobacco-alcohol-safehouse-worth-6401517 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/illegal-... 3. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/12/06/moonshiners-explain-how-evade-law-on-national-tv/ http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/12/06/moonshiners-...
cdcarter 13y ago
Not nearly as organized, but yes, absolutely.
Jhsto 13y ago
If you can consider random poor people in front of supermarkets and older friends and as illegal markets, then there is. If you have the right (or wrong, depends on how you view it) friends, then booze will be almost always available. Your friend doesn't necessarily need to be old enough to buy the booze, since if she/he has the contacts to yet older friends then you can understand how the buying circulates trough different levels. This way you don't necessarily need more than one middleman to buy vodka at age of 17. Tobacco gets usually passed on the same way as booze, but at least in case of snus there are usually known groups which adopt the use. For example, hockey players are known to use snus, so there's high chance that you can buy some from them. And you don't need to know more than one hockey player, as the players know which one of their teammates has the stuff and when. In cases where some known groups have the substances and the interest to sell them, you could consider it as somewhat centralized market. The people who run the market don't likely think it as one, but that's up to the viewer. After all, the way the liquer and tobacco gets spread may seem like there's no market at all.
ra3 13y ago
Sure, for the under 21&18 crowd.
mturmon 13y ago
One thing I don't see mentioned here is the illegal tobacco market due to high taxes. You can get cigs from Mexico, or a low-tax state, say, and re-import them into a high-tax state. This is one of the braking factors on tobacco taxes. It applies to any market -- if the taxes are too high, people will cheat the taxes. Edit: I see the first link by @munin refers to a Virginia-to-NY cig smuggling scheme.
code_duck 13y ago
Moonshining is on the rise! In my travels in the south last year, I encountered many people drinking and selling corn whiskey, especially in the form of Apple Pie liquor. Another anecdote: at my high school there were several people involved in a ring of cigarette carton theft, who would then sell cartons at the school for inflated prices.

Are there illegal markets for booze and tobacco?

by dscrd 13y ago

Are there illegal markets for booze and tobacco?

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

munin 13y ago

yes[1][2][3] 1. http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/cigarette-smuggling-adds-71144/ http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/cigarette-smuggling-... 2. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/illegal-tobacco-alcohol-safehouse-worth-6401517 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/illegal-... 3. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/12/06/moonshiners-explain-how-evade-law-on-national-tv/ http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/12/06/moonshiners-...

cdcarter 13y ago

Not nearly as organized, but yes, absolutely.

Jhsto 13y ago

If you can consider random poor people in front of supermarkets and older friends and as illegal markets, then there is. If you have the right (or wrong, depends on how you view it) friends, then booze will be almost always available. Your friend doesn't necessarily need to be old enough to buy the booze, since if she/he has the contacts to yet older friends then you can understand how the buying circulates trough different levels. This way you don't necessarily need more than one middleman to buy vodka at age of 17. Tobacco gets usually passed on the same way as booze, but at least in case of snus there are usually known groups which adopt the use. For example, hockey players are known to use snus, so there's high chance that you can buy some from them. And you don't need to know more than one hockey player, as the players know which one of their teammates has the stuff and when. In cases where some known groups have the substances and the interest to sell them, you could consider it as somewhat centralized market. The people who run the market don't likely think it as one, but that's up to the viewer. After all, the way the liquer and tobacco gets spread may seem like there's no market at all.

ra3 13y ago

Sure, for the under 21&18 crowd.

mturmon 13y ago

One thing I don't see mentioned here is the illegal tobacco market due to high taxes. You can get cigs from Mexico, or a low-tax state, say, and re-import them into a high-tax state. This is one of the braking factors on tobacco taxes. It applies to any market -- if the taxes are too high, people will cheat the taxes. Edit: I see the first link by @munin refers to a Virginia-to-NY cig smuggling scheme.

code_duck 13y ago

Moonshining is on the rise! In my travels in the south last year, I encountered many people drinking and selling corn whiskey, especially in the form of Apple Pie liquor. Another anecdote: at my high school there were several people involved in a ring of cigarette carton theft, who would then sell cartons at the school for inflated prices.