Violations for contraband tobacco and alcohol were on the rise during the last fiscal year in Maryland.
State Comptroller Peter Franchot says that 196 people were charged with tobacco violations for the period that ended on July 1st.
He also said nearly $2 million worth of cigarettes were confiscated during the same period.
That’s nearly 326-thousand packs of cigarettes – up by over a 100-thousand during the same period the year before.
In addition, the comptroller says that 426 gallons of distilled liquor were confiscated along with 785 gallons of wine and over 77-hundred containers of beer.