$60,000 Worth Of Cigarettes Stolen- Authorities Say Tax Makes Tobacco Hot Commodity

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AMES, Iowa -- The Boone County Sheriff's Office is investigating a heist of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes.

Investigators said it is no coincidence that just after a new cigarette tax goes into effect, hundreds of cartons of cigarettes are stolen.

Boone County Sheriff's deputies said between $55,000 and $60,000 worth of cigarettes were taken from Boone Freight Lines.

Sheriff's deputies said the new $1-a-pack tax has now made cigarettes a hot commodity.

Sheriff's deputies said there were no signs of forced entry at a Boone County trucking company.

On Sunday afternoon, Boone Freight Lines reported 11 cases of cigarettes or more than 500 cartons were missing.

"The cigarettes themselves were on pallets that were encased in plastic, so it took a little effort," said Kenneth Kendall of the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

The cigarette packs had yet to be marked with the tobacco tax stamp and deputies believe the missing sticker may help lead them to the person behind the crime.

"I guess we would ask retailers across the state of Iowa to keep an eye out for anyone trying to sell cigarette that are not taxed," Kendall said.

Investigators said they have received calls about a man selling cigarettes out of the back of his van over the weekend, but deputies have been unable to confirm the report.

Investigators and tobacco wholesalers said they believe the new tax increase may be the motive.

"The cigarettes were there. The motive was he wanted free cigarettes. You're going to make some money off of them," Kendall said.

"Anytime you have 278 percent increase overnight on one item it's going to create a black market, especially on an item like cigarettes," said Dan McMullan of Caffrey Wholesale Inc.

McMullan said the theft at Boone Freight is not only a concern for him as a wholesaler. He said it could also be a big problem for retailers.

"We have a pretty sophisticated security system here, and retailers are going to have to beef up their security as well," he said.

Boone Freight Lines declined to comment because it is an ongoing investigation.

Sheriff's deputies said retailers or anyone with information related to the case should contact them or their local law enforcement agency.