You can be charged with a crime in Maryland if you purchase more than 2 packs of cigarettes from out of state and transport them home, as a Maryland resident, according to this report.
Cigarettes are much cheaper in Virginia and North Carolina, due to the fact that the average tax is $2 per pack here, while it is only about $1.20 in Virginia. So even if you literally walk across the border, and bring back 3 packs of cigarettes, you are a criminal.
Do you have any idea what the fines are for these criminal offenses?
I live on a border town and I heard that the town cops are sitting over the line and waiting for Maryland citizens to cross the line with a carton and are busting citizens for their weeks worth of cigarettes (1 or 2 cartons) at $1000. bucks a pop.
Is this the standard amount of these fines?