§6-12A-6. Penalties; unlawful practices.

(a) Revocation of stamping privileges and civil penalty. In addition to or in lieu of any other civil or criminal remedy provided by law, upon a determination that a wholesaler, distributor, or any person has violated subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3, or any regulation adopted pursuant thereto, the commissioner may revoke or suspend the stamping privileges of any stamping agent in the manner provided by Section 40-2A-8. Each stamp affixed and each offer to sell cigarettes in violation of subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3 shall constitute a separate violation. For each violation thereof, the commissioner may also impose a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed the greater of 500 percent of the retail value of the cigarettes sold or five thousand dollars ($5,000) upon a determination of violation of subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3 or any regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

(b) Contraband and seizure. Any cigarettes that have been sold, offered for sale, or possessed for sale in this state, or imported for personal consumption in this state in violation of subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3 shall be deemed contraband, and the cigarettes shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture as provided under subsection (c) of Section 8-19-12; provided, however, that all such cigarettes shall be destroyed.

(c) Injunction. The commissioner may seek an injunction on behalf of the state to restrain a threatened or actual violation of subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3, or subsection (a) or (d) of Section 6-12A-5, by a wholesaler or distributor, and compel the violator to comply with these subsections. In any action brought pursuant to this section, the state shall be entitled to recover the costs of investigation, costs of the action, and reasonable attorney fees.

(d) Unlawful sale and distribution. It shall be unlawful for a person to sell, distribute, acquire, hold, own, possess, transport, import, or cause to be imported cigarettes that the person knows or should know are intended for distribution or sale in the state in violation of subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3. A violation of this subsection shall be a Class A misdemeanor.

(e) Unlawful and deceptive trade practices. A person who violates subsection (c) of Section 6-12A-3 engages in an unlawful and deceptive trade practice in violation of Section 8-19-5.

(Act 2003-372, p. 1049, §2.)