BATFE "misplaced" 420 million cigarettes

[John G]

I sometimes forget these guys actually do stuff with tobacco. 

http://www.my9nj.com/Story/23526553/us-atf-misplaced-420-million-cigarettes-in-stings

ATF officials allowed a tobacco distributor working as an ATF confidential informant to keep $4.9 million in profits from cigarette sales to criminal suspects. ATF officials justified the move by explaining the $4.9 million covered the informant's expenses.

Well sure, you've got to cover expenses.

[Gewehr98]

Yup.  I actually watched them run booze samples through an HPLC once, in their regional laboratory. 

[Scout26]

So wait a second.   BATFEI-EI-EIO conducted undercover "investigations" to make money to pay for the investigations and then turned over the money to guy selling the illegal cigarettes so that he could cover his costs.

 

I'm in the wrong line of work.

An ATF spokeswoman disputed the inspector general's 2.1 million carton tally for cigarettes that could not be accounted for during the inquiry. "In contrast to the OIG auditors' numbers, ATF's reconstructive inventory showed only 447,218 cartons that were not reconciled because of insufficient documentation," said ATF spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun.

IIRC there are 20 cigarettes in a pack, 10 packs in a carton.  So instead of losing 420,000,000 cigarettes.  They only lost 89,443,600.  That's much better. 

Everyone fired and agency dismantled.  Down the last brick and land salted.

[AZRedhawk44]

You guys are totally being mean to the ATF.

The only reason they lost them, is because there's no serial numbers on each cigarette, and each smoker doesn't have to undergo a background check prior to smoking.  If we just had mandatory health screening background checks and 3 day waiting periods, this would have never happened.

[RocketMan]

I wish we could misplace the BATFE.

[JN01]

While accepting responsibility for "management and oversight lapses that allowed those deficiencies to develop," he insisted that "the report's findings do not reflect current ATF policy or practice in this area."

So the Keystone Kops are running other areas, but this one is cleaned up.  Great.

[dogmush]

They have limited resources and had to concentrate on AR's and shotguns with short barrels.  It's not like cigarettes can kill people or anything.

[brimic]

They have limited resources and had to concentrate on AR's and shotguns with short barrels.  It's not like cigarettes can kill people or anything.

I see what you did there.

[fifth_column]

. . . there's no serial numbers on each cigarette, and each smoker doesn't have to undergo a background check prior to smoking.  If we just had mandatory health screening background checks and 3 day waiting periods, this would have never happened.

Bite your tongue!  It's probably only a matter of time anyway . . .

[vaskidmark]

You guys are totally being mean to the ATF.

The only reason they lost them, is because there's no serial numbers on each cigarette, and each smoker doesn't have to undergo a background check prior to smoking.  If we just had mandatory health screening background checks and 3 day waiting periods, this would have never happened.

But since I do not smoke (any more) putting serial numbers on them and requiring background checks/doctor's permission slips will not effect me, so why should I care?

(Did I get that right?  I've never played a fudd before.)

stay safe.

PS - where do I put the "/sarcasm" thingy?

[fifth_column]

I'm currently a smoker.  I've been a non-smoker before and will be again.  After that I'll be a smoker again.  So it goes . . .

Regardless of my status as a smoker, I prefer a world in which personal choice is just that.

    First they came for the communists,
    and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

    Then they came for the socialists,
    and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

    Then they came for the trade unionists,
    and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

    Then they came for me,
    and there was no one left to speak for me.

- attributed to pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

[Monkeyleg]

I'm currently a smoker.  I've been a non-smoker before and will be again.  After that I'll be a smoker again.  So it goes . . .

You'd better be prepared, because there's a lot of otherwise conservative and/or libertarian folks here who resort to liberal arguments when it comes to smoking.