Amherst Co. Thieves Steal Hundreds of Cartons of Cigarettes

In this week's Crime Stoppers report, an Amherst County business is hoping you'll help find a group of thieves who have a thing for cigarettes.

They took nearly 300 cartons from a Quality Foods distribution center last week. The haul is valued at almost $12,000.

The whole thing was caught on surveillance video, and it appears as though they knew what they were doing. The suspects worked extremely hard to hide their identities, wearing black hoodies with masks and white gloves. They snuck in under the cover of night, around 2:30 in the morning.

Managers and investigators are thinking it could be an inside job.

"This is major here, this was a thought-out plan," said Thomas Carter, Quality Foods, Inc. Operations Manager.

In just 13 minutes, they carried out about 800 cartons of cigarettes.

"Hauling three cases of cigarettes at a time, that's 90 cartons of cigarettes in those boxes," said Carter.

Charles Lewis was the first to discover the theft, when he came into work.

"I haven't seen nothing like it," said Lewis, Quality Foods, Inc. Transportation Director.

He calls it a scene out of a movie.

"I mean I never thought that I would have, you know, guys in black suits and white gloves just probably sitting there watching me," said Lewis.

Turns out, Lewis likely scared them off. And they left behind 500 cartons of cigarettes in the woods.

Their other mistake, came when one suspect looks directly into the camera. Managers are still trying to identify him, and any connection he might have with current employees.

"These individuals know what time to hit, they know what time they've got to be out and they also know which trucks the cigarettes are on," said Carter.

Some Quality Foods workers call the theft personal, a crime that's taken money out of their pockets.

"It takes away from our employees that work hard here everyday. You know, of course we have to make up for the money we've lost and add extra security," said Carter.

"I want them done. I want this thing done, finished," said Lewis.

Only three suspects were caught on camera, but investigators think several others could have been helping them.

If you know anything about this crime or recently noticed someone with large quantities of cigarettes, contact Crime Stoppers at 888-798-5900. It could earn you up to $1,000 and it's always anonymous.

UPDATE 1-BAT Q1 volumes fall, trading remains challenging

British American Tobacco (BATS.L), the world's No 2 cigarette maker, reported a 1.8 percent drop in underlying first-quarter volumes but said it was managing to raise prices despite challenging trading conditions.

The London-based group, which makes Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes, said on Thursday that overall group volumes dropped 2.4 percent to 164 billion cigarettes from 168 billion a year earlier.

Volume declined significantly in markets such as Spain, Mexico, Australia and Vietnam, the company said, noting however that it had grown market share in all those markets.

"British American Tobacco has made a good start to the year and our rate of organic volume decline is slowing," Chief Executive Nicandro Durante said in a trading update.

Its top four "global drive" brands saw volumes grow 9 percent, led by Kent which grew by 16 percent, driven by growth in Russia, Japan, South Korea, Romania and Ukraine.

"This good performance was achieved in trading conditions which remain challenging, with industry volumes markedly lower in a number of markets," the company said.

"There were higher than expected shipments to Japan, where the environment remains highly uncertain following the devastating earthquake."

The 1.8 percent drop in BAT's first-quarter underlying volume compared to European rival and the world No 4 Imperial Tobacco (IMT.L) which reported a 1 percent dip in its October-March half-year cigarette volumes [nLDE72M1FH].

In February, BAT's resumed share buyback and upbeat 2011 outlook failed to offset concern about declining cigarette volumes with underlying volumes off 3 percent in 2010 but these were offset by price rises to see overall annual sales up 5 percent. [nLDE71K1QO] (Reporting by Paul Hoskins, Editing by Matthew Scuffham)

Philip Morris Int'l CFO Waldemer

March's earthquake and tsunami in Japan offered up an opportunity for Marlboro maker Philip Morris International.

Japan Tobacco Inc., the world's No. 3 tobacco maker, suspended shipments of cigarettes within the country because of disruptions in supply. It planned to halt shipments of all tobacco brands, including the popular Camel and Winston, from March 30 to April 10.

That helped brands sold by the world's biggest nongovernment cigarette maker, Philip Morris International Inc. It was able to minimize supply disruptions because all of its cigarettes for sale in Japan are produced outside the country and shipments at ports were being unloaded normally. A small number of its third-party distribution centers were closed because of damage.

The company's ability to keep its supply chain moving allowed it to sell brands like Marlboro cigarettes to customers who normally bought other brands.

Complicating the Japanese market for all tobacco companies is a 40 percent tax hike on cigarettes that went into effect in October last year.

In a conference call with analysts on Thursday regarding Philip Morris International's first-quarter earnings, Chief Financial Officer Hermann Waldemer discussed its business in Japan.

QUESTION: Are you seeing the events in Japan as a potential to grow and sustain market share in the country?

RESPONSE: Japan, of course, in terms of spending overall already before any of that happening was one of our focus markets. ... Our shares are developing very, very nicely. However, really, I think the Japanese situation with the country in trouble will lead to a different average behavior of a consumer. I believe that the retention levels probably will be lower than they would be in another country. Some of them, of course, we will be able to retain, I would think. To what extent, that today is just impossible to say.

Cutting tobacco tax could hurt kids' health

Last year, New Jersey proposed reducing its tax 30 cents, to $2.40 per pack, but hasn’t followed through. And it shouldn’t.

The fiscal concerns aside, tobacco taxes are one of the most effective resources we have in preventing our youth from smoking before the age of 18.

We will pay a high price with more children and teenagers smoking, more lives lost to tobacco and higher tobacco-related health care costs.

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates that a 10-cent reduction in the tobacco tax would result in 1,000 new young smokers in New Hampshire. Let’s not let this happen here in New Jersey.

Reducing the tobacco tax sends the wrong message to our youth.

Five Citations Issued During Tobacco Decoy Operation

Pleasanton Police and the Alameda County Public Health Department conducted a decoy operation on Saturday at dozens of businesses throughout the city that sell tobacco products.

Five citations were issued to clerks who sold tobacco products to underage decoys.

Police reported that citations were issued at the following businesses: Vista Bottle Shop on the 6000 block of West Las Positas Boulevard, Beverages and More on the 5700 block of Johnson Drive, Chevron on the 5200 block of Hopyard Road, Union 76 on the 4100 block of First Street, and Shell on the 3700 block of Hopyard Road.

California law bars the sale of tobacco products to minors. There are currently 40 businesses licensed to sell tobacco products in the city, according to police. During the operation 38 businesses were visited and two were not open.

Elderly couple gets 5 pound brick of marijuana in the mail

The package arrived on Wednesday with a return address in Arizona. The elderly couple first thought it was delivered by mistake, since they didn't recognize the name.

When they opened the box, they found a five pound brick of high-grade pot, wrapped in Styrofoam lining.

Police suspect the shipment was just a test by drug smugglers, to see whether they could get the pot past detectors.

Supt. Michael Chitwood with the Upper Darby Police said, "This was a trial run to see if it would be picked up in transit, five pounds they probably have thousands of pounds."

Because the return label turned out fake, federal investigators are now looking into where the drugs were sent from.

2 Very Different Hookah Lounges Open in North Hollywood

The recently opened Rain Forest Cafe in North Hollywood is not just a hookah lounge, it's also a restaurant that serves Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food in an all-you-can eat Brazilian-style buffet manner.

After filling up on the buffet, rounds of meat are brought out to the customers, who may also order and enjoy hookahs right at their table or in the hookah lounge.

The Rain Forest Cafe is an open-air restaurant that has been completely remodeled since the Magnolia Boulevard site was occupied by an establishment called Royal Garden.

"We are all outdoors, 6,000 square feet," said Avo Hakopian, who opened the restaurant on March 26. Because it's outdoors, smoking is not prohibited.

"We're not a smoke-free environment, we're a free-to-smoke environment, since we're all outdoors," Hakopian said. "Yet if a customer requests a non-smoking section, we do offer that, it's not a problem." Although it is open-air, all the seating areas are covered to protect against rain.

There are some interesting touches, including a cave booth, several small pit fires scattered around and a few bunnies, which roam freely. Belly dancers perform every other Saturday.

Hakopian, who is from North Hollywood, previously owned and operated Nick's Hot Wings on Laurel Canyon Boulevard but said he sold the place to invest in the Rain Forest Cafe.

"I've been trying to get this place for like four years," he said. "I used to come with my girlfriend and just say, 'This place has such potential.' And now that I have it, I'm just using my imagination."

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