Philip Morris USA, the nation's biggest cigarette seller, said Friday it has sued another New York retailer, accusing it of selling counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes.
The latest lawsuit is against G.J. Smokes in Mastic, a town on New York's Long Island.
The company has sued 27 retail outlets in New York and New Jersey since May 2009 in an effort to stop the sales of counterfeit smokes. The counterfeits often are sold without payment of excise taxes, the company said.
The company has said the New York area is prone to counterfeit sales because of the combination of high federal, state and local taxes. In the past few years, higher taxes have boosted black market cigarette sales.
Philip Morris USA said employees of G.J. Smokes bought cartons of counterfeit cigarettes that bore the Marlboro brand name. The tobacco company has sued four other cigarette shops in Mastic.
Philip Morris USA is owned by Altria Group Inc., which is based in Richmond, Va.
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