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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>76319</law_id><section_number>19.2-386.21</section_number><catch_line>Forfeiture of counterfeit and contraband cigarettes</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="22.2">Miscellaneous Forfeiture Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Counterfeit cigarettes possessed in violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Counterfeit cigarettes; penalty; civil penalty" href="/18.2-246.14/">18.2-246.14</a> and cigarettes possessed in violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Sale, purchase, possession, etc., of cigarettes for purpose of evading tax; penalties" href="/58.1-1017/">58.1-1017</a> or <a class="law" title="Possession with intent to distribute tax-paid, contraband cigarettes; penalties" href="/58.1-1017.1/">58.1-1017.1</a> shall be subject to seizure, forfeiture, and destruction or <span class="dictionary">court</span>-ordered assignment for use by a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement undercover operation by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority or any <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer of the Commonwealth. However, any undercover operation that makes use of counterfeit cigarettes shall ensure that the counterfeit cigarettes remain under the control and command of <span class="dictionary">law</span> enforcement and shall not be distributed to a member of the general public who is not the subject of a criminal investigation. All fixtures, equipment, <span class="dictionary">materials</span>, and personal property used in substantial connection with (i) the sale or <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of counterfeit cigarettes in a knowing and intentional violation of Article 10 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/18.2-246.6/">18.2-246.6</a> et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 18.2 or (ii) the sale or <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of cigarettes in a knowing and intentional violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Sale, purchase, possession, etc., of cigarettes for purpose of evading tax; penalties" href="/58.1-1017/">58.1-1017</a> or <a class="law" title="Possession with intent to distribute tax-paid, contraband cigarettes; penalties" href="/58.1-1017.1/">58.1-1017.1</a> shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture according to the procedures contained in Chapter 22.1 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Commencing an action of forfeiture" href="/19.2-386.1/">19.2-386.1</a> et seq.), applied <span class="dictionary">mutatis mutandis</span>.</p></section></text><history>2004, c. 995; 2013, c. 627; 2014, cc. 422, 458; 2015, cc. 38, 730.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
