RICHMOND — Philip Morris
USA filed suit against 105 New Jersey
and New York retailers Wednesday,
alleging they sold counterfeit versions
of Marlboro brand cigarettes.
In three suits the Richmond-based
cigarette maker accuses several delis,
grocers and convenience stores of
selling cigarettes packaged to resemble
Philip Morris USA products.
The company wants the retailers
to stop selling the fakes, submit to
inspections of their inventory and
provide information about their
supplier.
Company officials discovered
the counterfeit cigarettes during a
periodic marketplace purchase, one
method the company uses to protect
its brands, according to spokesman
David Sutton.
Sales of such products have been a
particular problem in New York and
New Jersey, he said.
“You’ve got two states there with
high cigarette excise taxes, and in
the case of New York City, you’ve
got a high local cigarette excise tax,”
Sutton said. “This is an attempt to
reap illegal profit by selling untaxed
cigarettes.”
Sutton said retailers should work
with familiar wholesalers and should
be wary of anyone selling cigarettes
for unusually low prices.
The action follows separate suits
the nation’s largest tobacco manufacturer
filed last week against two
Internet-based cigarette vendors. The
suits allege the vendors of selling illegally
imported Marlboros, Parliament
and Virginia Slims cigarettes.