Michigan has an alcohol smuggling problem, according to the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association.
The group compiled data from the Liquor Control Commission and the state’s excise tax information to determine how much alcohol is being shipped to Michigan illegally.
Nearly 130,000. That’s how many illegally shipped bottles of alcohol made their way to the walls of liquor stores across Michigan. That’s just from January through March of 2019, according to the group’s data.
Spencer Nevins is president of the association. He says the problem is the government will try to step in. It’ll send a cease and desist order, for example. But then the company just disappears and reopens with a small change in their name and the process has to start all over.
“We describe it like whack-a-mole. You whack it down and it just pops up somewhere else.”
Nevins says this can be dangerous for consumers. That’s because without Michigan’s regulations and oversight, people could be buying tainted or recalled alcohol.
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