CAYUGA CO. -- The cigarettes seized from the Cayuga Indian Nation in November of 2008. were returned to the nation today. Lee Alcott, the Syracuse lawyer who represents the Cayugas confirms to CNY Central that Cayuga County authorities started handing over the 7,627 cartons of cigarettes Tuesday morning. The cigarettes are worth more than $217,000.
Last year, a state appeals court ruled the Cayuga Indian Nation could continue selling untaxed cigarettes to non-Indians at its two upstate New York convenience stores, a big win for the nation.
In 2008, Cayuga County authorities seized the cigarettes from the Lakeside Trading convenience stores in Seneca Falls and Union Springs, saying they were breaking the law by selling cigarettes without charging tax. The Cayugas say they are exempt from collecting the taxes because their businesses are protected by their sovereign nation status.
