The State Liquor Authority is cracking down on tax-dodging city bodegas that smuggle cases of beer in from New Jersey.
A growing number of local shop owners load up their vans and trucks with beer from Jersey discounters to save nearly $6 a case in fees and taxes.
“They’re putting the retailers that are doing it by the book at a disadvantage,” said SLA spokesman Bill Crowley.
The SLA slapped the Canela Food Store in the Hunts Point section of The Bronx with violations after investigators allegedly found 99 cases of Corona and Heineken purchased out of state on Nov. 3.
“It was something that happened just once,” said a deli employee, who declined to give his name, adding that the beer was purchased from another local store owner.
The violation is punishable by a $10,000 fine and loss of a license.