(AP) — House lawmakers are considering a bill aimed at cracking down on cigarette smugglers in Delaware.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last year, makes it a felony to traffic in cigarettes that are not taxed in Delaware.
The current maximum penalty for selling or possessing untaxed cigarettes is a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.
Lawmakers say that is not enough to deter traffickers who move black-market cigarettes from low tax states to be sold in higher tax states.
Delaware currently allows a person to bring in no more than nine packs of cigarettes from another state without penalty.
While stiffening the penalties for smuggling, the bill, scheduled for consideration in a House committee Wednesday, would allow a person to bring in up to 20 packs from another state.
