A Hartford liquor store that did not comply with the new cigarette tax increase has became the first shop to have cigarettes confiscated.

Agents from the state Department of Revenue Services Thursday seized 370 packages of cigarettes from the Hartford Club Package Store on Wethersfield Avenue. The agents initially inspected the shop Wednesday, the day the tax increase took effect. They said they found 260 packages of cigarettes that displayed the old 50-cent cigarette tax stamps and told the store to affix the new stamps. When agents returned 24 hours later, the number of cigarettes packs with old stamps had increased by more than 100, authorities said. Revenue Services Commissioner Gene Gavin said the incident was a rare event and that most of the approximately 6,000 cigarette retailers and distributors operating in the state have complied with the law. "I want to thank the cigarette retailers and distributors who worked with DRS to make the transition from the old tax to the new one so smooth," Gavin said. State agents inspected about 500 locations Wednesday. Cigarette packs with old tax stamps were found at 50 sites, which were given 24 hours to fix the problem. The state will continue the inspections for the next several weeks. Penalties for the storage and sale of untaxed or under-taxed cigarettes include confiscation of inventory, loss of license, up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. The cigarette tax increased Wednesday from 50 cents to $1.11 per pack, the third-highest in the nation.

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