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by Guest
on Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:51 am |
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Hello. I have been researching the "seize" because my husband wants me to order more smokes from somewhere...ugh... anyway - in answer to refunds question - YES, both my checking account AND a visa credit card account I used were refunded. (the lady I talked to when claiming the lost merchandise knew of what i was speaking because she had had other calls that day) I wonder which companies are in on the
"whistleblowing" for refunds? I was expecting 10 cartons!
I have not received any letters either. |
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by moot
on Fri Feb 04, 2005 12:27 am |
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holy god!
i just found this thread after getting a letter saying my cigs were seized by the atf at jfk!
"...you may contest the seizure and forfeiture of the subject poperty in us district court by filing a claim, or you may consent to the forfeiture of the property through the administrative process and seek equitable relief from the forfeiture by filing a Petition for remission or mitigation of forfeiture..."
for fourty bucks in cigs?
anybody get that attourney yet?
im scared!
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moot
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by FBI
on Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:04 pm |
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moot wrote: holy god!
i just found this thread after getting a letter saying my cigs were seized by the atf at jfk!
"...you may contest the seizure and forfeiture of the subject poperty in us district court by filing a claim, or you may consent to the forfeiture of the property through the administrative process and seek equitable relief from the forfeiture by filing a Petition for remission or mitigation of forfeiture..."
for fourty bucks in cigs?
anybody get that attourney yet?
im scared!
Stay calm, whats a couple years in federal prison for tax evasion, probably do it standing on your head. 
What state do you live in and how far back did you order the seized smokes?
Obviously for forty bucks you let them keep them, you probably got your money back from whoever you ordered them from so technically they are no longer yours anyway.
The real zinger is if you get a tax bill from your state for all the smokes you have been ordering online past and present.
I am waiting to see the outcome of those cigarettes that were seized being from a source out of country and whether the tax people are able to obtain an order history of the buyers-hopfully not and it ends with the seizure.
I think it goes without saying you don't want to continue ordering online.
That leaves driving out of state to say Va. or MYO, MYO is the path I took.
Would you consider making cigarettes while you are serving your time in federal prison considering there won't be much else to do?  |
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FBI
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by BWilliams
on Sat Feb 05, 2005 5:14 pm |
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This avoidance of ordering online makes no sense - sure, you don't want your order seized, granted. But what do you care if they send you a back bill for taxes? If you bought them at the store instead of online you would have paid those taxes anyway, so what's the big deal? I'd rather take the gamble that they're not going to tax me.
But the seizure thing is a big problem - right now, as far as I know, the feds have only gone after yesmoke, so I think you can order from other online shops safely. |
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BWilliams
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Joined: Jun 05, 2003
Posts: 1081
Location: New York City
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by FBI
on Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:13 pm |
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BWilliams wrote: This avoidance of ordering online makes no sense - sure, you don't want your order seized, granted. But what do you care if they send you a back bill for taxes? If you bought them at the store instead of online you would have paid those taxes anyway, so what's the big deal? I'd rather take the gamble that they're not going to tax me.
But the seizure thing is a big problem - right now, as far as I know, the feds have only gone after yesmoke, so I think you can order from other online shops safely.
BWilliams wrote:
But the seizure thing is a big problem - right now, as far as I know, the feds have only gone after yesmoke, so I think you can order from other online shops safely.
Nope, its not just Yessmoke and I have been trying to make that point.
Neither my Sister or I got our last orders from late Nov and Dec, 2 different states involved and we both ordered from sendcigarettes.com.
They just issued refunds to the credit card without answering any email inquiries or any kind of explanation of what happened to the cigarettes.
The main point being is what is the point of ordering if you never get them?
I also fear an ongoing sting operation allowing as many as possible to become entrapped.
I can see where you are coming from about being OK with back taxes but I don't think that way.
I see it as once they raised the price to what I considered unacceptable I look for alternative sources, drive to Va. or MYO, online ordering seemed to be a convenient source and they claimed it perfectly legal and now I am viewing it as a trap which personally I would have avoided and looked elsewhere but under NO circumstances would I pay these kind of taxes.
At this point I don't feel like getting bagged for 3 or 4 years of back taxes for something that is long up in smoke and has given me such pleasure to have laughed at the greedy state politicians while blowing smoke in their faces, a pleasure I don't want to give back by paying back taxes and letting them have the last laugh.
They simply exceeded what I was willing to pay and not a matter of can't afford but a matter of won't afford- It is a tax protest based on principle, how dare they single out smokers by trying to tax us unconscientiously.
Is anyone getting any cigarette shipments from online ordering or are shipments from domestic Indian Reservations the only ones being delivered? |
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by ej
on Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:10 pm |
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This whole thing with the seizure and letter's from customs and sitting around waiting to get an outrageous tax bill is sick! Doesn't feel much like a FREE country. We are going back in time and all the other countries are moving forward. What happened to Freedom?
Phillip Morris is sickening! They show TV commecials about how great they are trying to give info on how to quit smoking, when everybody knows that is abousolutley what they don't want. They went after Yesmoke because they have to be #1. If you have to buy cigs, don't buy them from them. This really is Bullshit! |
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ej
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by Smokinjoe
on Mon Feb 07, 2005 6:22 pm |
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BWilliams wrote: This avoidance of ordering online makes no sense - sure, you don't want your order seized, granted. But what do you care if they send you a back bill for taxes? If you bought them at the store instead of online you would have paid those taxes anyway, so what's the big deal? I'd rather take the gamble that they're not going to tax me.
But the seizure thing is a big problem - right now, as far as I know, the feds have only gone after yesmoke, so I think you can order from other online shops safely.
By now you do realize that Yessmoke is not the only one having smokes seized, right?
The reported seizure took place Nov 17 and my final 2 orders weren't placed until Nov 26th and again Dec 2, neither were ever delivered and they couldn't have been on that DHL plane that made the news.
Subsequent seizures appear to be continuing in secrecy, if I had been aware of the Nov 17th activity I would not have ordered online again.
Worse case scenario: In the headlines, "Huge Cigarette smuggling ring busted!", with everyone who has ordered online names listed.
On the domestic orders Federal Taxes are paid but on the imported smokes they weren't and ATF became involved.
This is just how I see it and hopefully it will end with them just seizing the smokes, meanwhile I am fine with MYO and will not stick my neck into what could possibly be a noose. |
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Smokinjoe
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Joined: Dec 16, 2004
Posts: 178
Location: New Jersey
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by mamab
on Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:46 pm |
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| I got the lovely letter from our friends at the ATF. Do I even respond, or pretend I don't exist?? I couldn't get a refund from my Visa either, but I don't want to send up "smoke signals" about the whole thing either...Will they just go away?? I read somewhere that Fed. law exempts both Indians and Active Military/immediate family from import taxes on personal use tobacco. Does anyone know if this is true? |
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mamab
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by ej
on Sat Feb 12, 2005 3:51 pm |
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| Does everybody live in NY that are getting these letter's? Did anybody from any other state get a letter? |
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ej
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by mamab
on Sat Feb 19, 2005 12:13 pm |
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| No, I am not from New York, I live in Washington state. Apparently all of the cigs come through NY, because that seems to be the only place they are being siezed. I guess I will have to either take my chances online or go to a reservation... |
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mamab
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