The ATF ran an illegal cigarette smuggling operation to raise millions of dollars in funding for undercover operations. The ATF is now being sued by a group of tobacco growers.
A.T.F. Filled Secret Bank Account With Millions From Shadowy Cigarette Sales
Government records and interviews with people involved reveal an operation that existed on a murky frontier – between investigating smuggling and being complicit in it. After The New York Times began asking about the operation last summer, the Justice Department disclosed it to the department’s inspector general’s office, which is investigating.