Alabama Liquor Laws

"Tiger" <me@here.com> wrote in message
news:ppmko0h4pdemlb2p26ios1igh18c5t9cb2@...
> I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
> Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
> Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
> bottle of duty free next week?
>

You are kidding right? That's not even logical. I take it they don't want
anyone transporting liquor to Alabama for sale, without paying taxes first.

> Tiger

> Not necessarily kidding. I don't know how it is today but back
> when I was a bit younger Ohio had much cheaper liquor than
> Pennsylvania. Most of the time the Pennsy police didn't bother
> anyone. But as the Xmas holdiays got nearere, the police would
> take an unmarked car to the closer Ohio liquor stores and radio
> the license plate of anyone coming out and loading up a
> Pennsylvaia car to state polices just inside Pennsylvania.
>
> The cars woudl be stopped and the liquor confiscated unelss you
> had a lot of liquor; then yo would be arrested.
>
> The rationale was that Pennsylvania taxes hadn't been paid on the
> liquor (rather like smuggling cigarettes).
>
> I worked for a while at an engineering office in Youngstown OH,
> which is quite near Pennsylvania. At lunch time in the holiday
> seasons coworkers from Pennsylvania would head out to liquor
> stores on the west side where there wouldn't be any Pennsy cops
> observing license plates.

Connecticut cops have been known to do the same thing in Sturbridge Mass.
The WORST time to try to stock up was on a Friday night. Usually a midweek,
midday run was safe... at least they never caught me in the 25 years I lived
in CT!!
Momma

PS...
I wasn't selling it!! It was for personal/party consumption!
"Everyboysmomma" <noway@maine.> wrote in message
news:TJuid.40405$JS4.1211@twister.nyroc....
>
>> Not necessarily kidding. I don't know how it is today but back
>> when I was a bit younger Ohio had much cheaper liquor than
>> Pennsylvania. Most of the time the Pennsy police didn't bother
>> anyone. But as the Xmas holdiays got nearere, the police would
>> take an unmarked car to the closer Ohio liquor stores and radio
>> the license plate of anyone coming out and loading up a
>> Pennsylvaia car to state polices just inside Pennsylvania.
>>
>> The cars woudl be stopped and the liquor confiscated unelss you
>> had a lot of liquor; then yo would be arrested.
>>
>> The rationale was that Pennsylvania taxes hadn't been paid on the
>> liquor (rather like smuggling cigarettes).
>>
>> I worked for a while at an engineering office in Youngstown OH,
>> which is quite near Pennsylvania. At lunch time in the holiday
>> seasons coworkers from Pennsylvania would head out to liquor
>> stores on the west side where there wouldn't be any Pennsy cops
>> observing license plates.
>
> Connecticut cops have been known to do the same thing in Sturbridge Mass.
> The WORST time to try to stock up was on a Friday night. Usually a
> midweek, midday run was safe... at least they never caught me in the 25
> years I lived in CT!!
> Momma
>
>

"Everyboysmomma" <noway@maine.> wrote in message
news:0Muid.40407$JS4.20455@twister.nyroc....
> PS...
> I wasn't selling it!! It was for personal/party consumption!

Oh sure. Your speedometer was broke and the dog ate your homework too.


> "Everyboysmomma" <noway@maine.> wrote in message
> news:TJuid.40405$JS4.1211@twister.nyroc....
> >
> >> Not necessarily kidding. I don't know how it is today but back
> >> when I was a bit younger Ohio had much cheaper liquor than
> >> Pennsylvania. Most of the time the Pennsy police didn't bother
> >> anyone. But as the Xmas holdiays got nearere, the police would
> >> take an unmarked car to the closer Ohio liquor stores and radio
> >> the license plate of anyone coming out and loading up a
> >> Pennsylvaia car to state polices just inside Pennsylvania.
> >>
> >> The cars woudl be stopped and the liquor confiscated unelss you
> >> had a lot of liquor; then yo would be arrested.
> >>
> >> The rationale was that Pennsylvania taxes hadn't been paid on the
> >> liquor (rather like smuggling cigarettes).
> >>
> >> I worked for a while at an engineering office in Youngstown OH,
> >> which is quite near Pennsylvania. At lunch time in the holiday
> >> seasons coworkers from Pennsylvania would head out to liquor
> >> stores on the west side where there wouldn't be any Pennsy cops
> >> observing license plates.
> >
> > Connecticut cops have been known to do the same thing in Sturbridge
Mass.
> > The WORST time to try to stock up was on a Friday night. Usually a
> > midweek, midday run was safe... at least they never caught me in the 25
> > years I lived in CT!!
> > Momma
> >
> >
>
>

LOL
"PeterL" <peterl@m> wrote in message
news:2uvd86F2dqjv3U1@uni-berlin.de...
>
> "Everyboysmomma" <noway@maine.> wrote in message
> news:0Muid.40407$JS4.20455@twister.nyroc....
>> PS...
>> I wasn't selling it!! It was for personal/party consumption!
>
> Oh sure. Your speedometer was broke and the dog ate your homework too.
>
>
>> "Everyboysmomma" <noway@maine.> wrote in message
>> news:TJuid.40405$JS4.1211@twister.nyroc....
>> >
>> >> Not necessarily kidding. I don't know how it is today but back
>> >> when I was a bit younger Ohio had much cheaper liquor than
>> >> Pennsylvania. Most of the time the Pennsy police didn't bother
>> >> anyone. But as the Xmas holdiays got nearere, the police would
>> >> take an unmarked car to the closer Ohio liquor stores and radio
>> >> the license plate of anyone coming out and loading up a
>> >> Pennsylvaia car to state polices just inside Pennsylvania.
>> >>
>> >> The cars woudl be stopped and the liquor confiscated unelss you
>> >> had a lot of liquor; then yo would be arrested.
>> >>
>> >> The rationale was that Pennsylvania taxes hadn't been paid on the
>> >> liquor (rather like smuggling cigarettes).
>> >>
>> >> I worked for a while at an engineering office in Youngstown OH,
>> >> which is quite near Pennsylvania. At lunch time in the holiday
>> >> seasons coworkers from Pennsylvania would head out to liquor
>> >> stores on the west side where there wouldn't be any Pennsy cops
>> >> observing license plates.
>> >
>> > Connecticut cops have been known to do the same thing in Sturbridge
> Mass.
>> > The WORST time to try to stock up was on a Friday night. Usually a
>> > midweek, midday run was safe... at least they never caught me in the 25
>> > years I lived in CT!!
>> > Momma
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

Such laws are very common right across North America. (There's a good
chance that anyone who believes they don't have a similar law in effect
in their state or province would be surprised by the answer if they
phoned to check on it with their local police.) It's all about
protecting a vital tax source.

I wouldn't consider transporting liquor into Alabama given that they've
made a clear point of it on their state Travel Info website. You might
not be checked at the state line, but if you were to be stopped for any
sort of traffic infraction it would not be unusual for the officer to
search your entire vehicle.

You must also consider that if you are renting a car and have an
accident with it while in Alabama, if contraband liquor were to be
discovered in the vehicle and noted on the police accident report or
cross-referenced to a separate violation ticket written up for the
contraband, your rental car insurance would be null and void. All car
rental agreements I've ever seen have had a provision for nullifying the
Loss Damage Waiver for a number of specific causes, including
transportation of contraband.

Another point is that in some jurisdictions, transportation of
contraband is grounds for seizure and forfeiture of the vehicle (yet
another important source of state and provincial revenue!)

In article <418AC540.5050303@notarealdomain.net>,
JibberJabber <jibber@notarealdomain.net> wrote:

> Such laws are very common right across North America. (There's a good
> chance that anyone who believes they don't have a similar law in effect
> in their state or province would be surprised by the answer if they
> phoned to check on it with their local police.) It's all about
> protecting a vital tax source.

Most states have a rather small maximum amount you can bring across.
Apparently Alabama, being both a medieval fiefdom and a
fundamentalist-infested place, sets a zero limit.

Tiger <me@here.com> wrote in message


> I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
> Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
> Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
> bottle of duty free next week?
>
On a theoretical basis, its illegal to take liquor (or tobacco) across
any state line. Residents are also supposed to write the state a
check for its lost sales tax for any purchses out of state.

THERE IS NO SEARCH AT A STATE BORDER IN THE USA. Crossing a state
border is merely noted by a sign on the highway. You will not get in
trouble for bringing a bottle or two for person use from place to
place. The notice is there to warn people who would bring in
truckloads (the state tax on liquor and tobacco varries greatly) into
a high tax state for illegal resale.

Tiger wrote:

> On 6 Nov 2004 04:30:52 -0800, pacefsc@msn.com (SP Cook) wrote:

>>Tiger <me@here.com> wrote in message

>>>I see from the state website that it is illegal to take liquor into
>>>Alabama. How is this policed? Is my car likely to be searched at the
>>>Georgia/Alabama border when I drive from Atlanta airport with my UK
>>>bottle of duty free next week?

>>On a theoretical basis, its illegal to take liquor (or tobacco) across
>>any state line. Residents are also supposed to write the state a
>>check for its lost sales tax for any purchses out of state.
>>
>>THERE IS NO SEARCH AT A STATE BORDER IN THE USA. Crossing a state
>>border is merely noted by a sign on the highway. You will not get in
>>trouble for bringing a bottle or two for person use from place to
>>place. The notice is there to warn people who would bring in
>>truckloads (the state tax on liquor and tobacco varries greatly) into
>>a high tax state for illegal resale.

> One of the reasons for the original post was that we were stopped at
> what I remember as a fairly substantial 'border post' between Arizona
> and California north of Havasu City 10 or 12 years ago. We weren't
> searched but asked if we had some particular fruit or vegetables.

> The thread has been fascinating, probably over the years we've broken
> a few state's rules. Ignorance is bliss! We'll have to see what next
> week brings.
> Tiger

Years ago california and arizona did maintain a plant quarantine
primarily to try to protect the citrus crops from med fly. I think that
eventually a combination of federal problems and local infestations mad
it not cost effective.

PeterL wrote:

> "Everyboysmomma" <noway@maine.> wrote in message
> news:0Muid.40407$JS4.20455@twister.nyroc....
> > PS...
> > I wasn't selling it!! It was for personal/party consumption!
>
> Oh sure. Your speedometer was broke and the dog ate your homework too.

Hey, I thought the USA allowed the freedom for dogs to eat homework!! Isn't
the USA all about freedom and less government? Now you have made me wonder ;-)
Unless, you are just joking of course :-)