Enforcement Program

The Divison's, Enforcement Program, is staffed with Enforcement Agents who are sworn police officers. The agents of the bureau work individual investigations and jointly with inspectors assigned to the division. The Enforcement Agents are charged with investigating violations of state revenue laws pertaining to tobacco, trader's and transient vendors license, sales and use tax, alcoholic beverage violations and IFTA and motor fuel violations.

Investigations conducted by the agents may result in a physical arrest or the violator receiving a criminal citation. Agents of the Bureau work closely with other state law enforcement agencies and Federal law enforcement agencies such as, ATF, FBI, and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, to monitor and arrest individuals that live in the state and individuals that live outside the state who enter Maryland to commit revenue crimes.

The agents pay special attention to large organized groups that ship contraband or counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol into the State in violation of state laws. Agents fan out across the state visiting retail businesses to ensure they are properly licensed and in compliance with state record keeping laws. Enforcement agents are constantly on the lookout for Transient Vendors that set up business on the side of the road or in parking lots. Since many of these vendors work without proper licenses, they are checked when they are observed, to ensure they comply with all State and County laws and requirements.

Agents routinely meet with business owners that have failed to pay the state, sales and use taxes they have collected. Agents meet with these individual businesses in an effort to collect monies owed the state. In the near future, enforcement agents will be monitoring Internet Sites that ship unstamped, counterfeit or contraband cigarettes or alcoholic beverages into the state in an effort to avoid state revenue laws. Investigations will be conducted involving these sites and individuals that receive these goods. Violations will be identified and appropriate charges will be placed.

By enforcing state laws and regulations that pertain to license and taxes the Enforcement Program conducted by the Field Enforcement Bureau, works hard to ensure a level playing field for all citizens and retail businesses in the state of Maryland.

TIPLINE: If you have any information regarding illegal cigarette sales, or businesses operating without a business license or transient vendors selling merchandise on the roadside without a license email Earl Fowlkes at EFowlkes@comp.state.md.us or call him at (410) 260-7388.

• Enforcement Efforts