Tobacco News and Interesting Information

Police are searching for the suspect who twice robbed the Lukoil gas station at the intersection of Route 309 and Upper State Road within 15 days.

Video from the second incident, on Jan. 14, provided a clear photo of the suspect's face, according to Ward Thomas, a detective with the Montgomery Township Police Department.

Thomas described the man, who took at least $4,700 worth of cigarettes in both robberies, as a white male, approximately six feet tall, and wearing a gray hooded sweatsuit. He said the man, who has facial hair, could be Hispanic.

On Dec. 30, the suspect took more than 20 cartons of cigarettes worth more than $1,500 from the gas station at 11:05 p.m., according to the detective.

He said the perpetrator gained entry by smashing a glass door with a blue canvas bag filled with concrete.

"The actor worked pretty quickly," Thomas said. "He was only in the store for one minute."

Last Wednesday, at approximately 11:30 p.m., the suspect used a hammer to break a similar door and steal $3,200 worth of cigarettes, according to the detective.

the video we could tell it was the same suspect," Thomas said. "He was pretty brazen. The traffic on Route 309 was pretty heavy, but it didn't seem to bother him."

A wave of similar robberies has struck in the region, according to Thomas.

He said two recent incidents at a gas station in Hatfield Township appear to have been committed by the same suspect.

Authorities know of three separate groups who have been stealing cigarettes, but aren't sure if they are working together.

"These crimes are a sign of the times with the current economy," Thomas said.

Montgomery Township police is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue to trace the cigarettes, according to Thomas.

He speculated that the merchandise is being sold on the street or fenced to small merchants in the city.