The state of New York said it will return tobacco products and a truck that it seized from a Seneca Nation business owner.

The state took Aaron J. Pierce's property on Monday and left the driver on the side of the road of the reservation. He called it retaliation for his lawsuit against Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act.

The state Department of Taxation and Finance indicated it would charge Pierce for illegally transporting cigarettes. But after an investigation, the department changed its mind, citing unspecified "facts."

"I think it was a wise decision on their part to back down," J.C. Seneca, a tribal council member, told The Buffalo News.

Get the Story:
State to return Seneca truck, cigarettes (The Buffalo News 8/12)
Cigarette sales go up in smoke (The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 8/12)

Relevant Documents:
ATF Letter on Tribal Consultation (May 19, 2010)

Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act:
H.R.1676 | S.1147

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