State v. Bruce

564 S.W.2d 898, 1978 Mo. LEXIS 351
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedApril 24, 1978
DocketNo. 59633
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 564 S.W.2d 898 (State v. Bruce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Bruce, 564 S.W.2d 898, 1978 Mo. LEXIS 351 (Mo. 1978).

Opinion

FINCH, Judge.

Defendant appeals from his misdemeanor conviction by jury of possession of 1,788 cartons of unstamped cigarettes for the purpose of sale in violation of § 149.051.1 Exclusive appellate jurisdiction is vested in this court pursuant to Article V, § 3 of the Missouri Constitution as the issues raised necessitate construction of the revenue laws. We reverse and remand.

The evidence introduced at trial revealed that defendant had been the subject of periodic surveillance by the Bureau of Special Investigation, Missouri Department of Revenue, and the Interstate Revenue Research Center for nearly two months prior to trial. From the testimony of the agents involved in this surveillance, it appeared that defendant had been engaged in the transportation of cigarettes from Asheville, North Carolina, to Kansas City, Missouri, on a highly predictable, recurrent basis. The established pattern was for the defendant to leave Kansas City in his light blue van during the latter part of the week and drive to Asheville. During the trip to Asheville, the curtains on the windows of the van were open and it was observed that the van was empty. Upon his arrival in Asheville, the defendant would proceed to the More-head Company, a cigarette wholesaler, and load the van with about 50 half-cases of cigarettes containing 30 cartons each. On at least two occasions, the actual transfer of the cigarettes from Morehead’s truck took place at a point remote from More-head’s warehouse. After loading, the curtains on the van were closed, secreting the contents from view. On the return trip, defendant had been observed to stop for the night at the Ramada Inn in Cape Girar-deau, Missouri. The next day, either Saturday or Sunday, defendant would return to Kansas City. Upon entering Kansas City, with the curtains of the van still closed, defendant would be followed by the agents, but on all but one occasion (the weekend prior to arrest) the agents lost contact with defendant for a brief period after which the van was observed, empty, outside defendant’s residence.

On the weekend prior to arrest, the same pattern occurred but this time the agents were able to maintain surveillance of the defendant in Kansas City and followed him to a residence where he and one Howe, suspected to be a cigarette smuggler from other investigations by the agents, were observed unloading the cigarettes from the van into the basement. Howe also had been observed to meet with defendant in a shopping center parking lot just prior to defendant’s departure for Asheville on two occasions.

As for the occasion of defendant’s arrest, the usual pattern was again observed. On Thursday, November 20, 1975, defendant left his apartment and drove to the Loma Vista shopping center in Kansas City where he met briefly with Howe. Defendant then left the shopping center and proceeded eastbound on 1-70 where surveillance was terminated. The curtains again were observed to be open and the van was empty. The next morning, defendant was seen at the offices of the Morehead Company in Ashe-ville. Agents there watched employees load a substantial quantity of half-cases of cigarettes onto a Morehead Company truck which then proceeded to a residence in Asheville. Shortly thereafter, defendant arrived and pulled his van alongside the truck. Defendant and the Morehead em[901]*901ployees then transferred the cigarettes to the van. Photographs of this activity were introduced into evidence. After the transfer was complete, the van’s curtains were closed and defendant departed. He was followed to a point where he proceeded westbound on 1-40 and surveillance was again terminated.

Late that evening, defendant was observed crossing a bridge into Missouri and was followed to the Ramada Inn in Cape Girardeau. After a warrant was obtained, police searched the van and discovered 1,788 cartons of cigarettes which bore no Missouri tax stamp. Defendant was immediately taken into custody. The next morning, agents arrested Howe when he arrived at the address where he and defendant had previously been observed unloading cigarettes.

Many of defendant’s points on appeal may properly be characterized as an assertion that Chapter 149 is facially unconstitutional. It is contended that the tax imposed by the chapter, the stamps required as evidence of the payment of the tax and the penalties for possession of unstamped cigarettes are not limited to sales within the state.2 More specifically, it is asserted that by reason of this alleged flaw, the statute permits the imposition of criminal penalties for the possession of cigarettes which do not bear a Missouri tax stamp even as to persons who may be merely transporting cigarettes through the state for sale in some other state. This is said to constitute both an infringement of the constitutional right to travel and an undue burden on interstate commerce.

Defendant’s position that the statute is not limited to possession of cigarettes sold or intended for sale in Missouri is based primarily on the observation that no express language to that effect is contained in §§ 149.015.1 and 149.051.2, supra, note 2. While this observation about the lack of express language is correct, the conclusion drawn therefrom by defendant ignores other provisions which we believe manifest the true legislative intent. For example, express references to the occurrence of a sale within the state, are found in the concluding sentence of § 149.015.2, supra, note 2, and in the opening phrase of § 149.015.5.3

Defendant also relies on the language of § 149.011(12) to support his contention as to applicability of the tax and penalties to possession of cigarettes not sold or intended for sale in Missouri. That section defines “wholesaler” to include one “that carries at all times at his or her principal place of business a representative stock of cigarettes for sale, and that comes into the possession of cigarettes for the purpose of selling them to retailers or to persons outside or within the state who might resell or retail the cigarettes to consumers.” (Emphasis supplied). This is a definitional section and not a taxing section. It defines or describes an occupation or business. Moreover, the use of the term “wholesaler” in § 149.051.2 is clearly contrary to defendant’s position because it is there used to exempt licensed wholesalers from the prohibition against [902]*902possession of unstamped cigarettes intended for sale within the state.

Even the most general reading of the chapter reveals a statutory scheme which is obviously directed to collection of tax revenues from sales occurring within the state and providing a means by which the state can monitor such transactions. So interpreted, the premise for defendant’s constitutional challenge is refuted. Hence, we need not further consider the asserted constitutional questions.

Having concluded that § 149.051.2 must be read to include the words “in this state” after the word “sale,” we must now examine defendant’s instructional challenges as if the statute expressly so provided.

Verdict-directing Instruction No. 5 told the jury:

“If you find and believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt:
“First, that on November 21, 1975, in the County of Cape Girardeau, State of Missouri, the defendant, Paul Bruce, had in his possession 1,788 cartons of cigarettes for the purpose of sale, and

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Related

State v. Gleason
814 S.W.2d 310 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1991)
State v. Pickins
660 S.W.2d 705 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1983)
State v. Golliday
637 S.W.2d 106 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)
State v. Ogle
627 S.W.2d 73 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
564 S.W.2d 898, 1978 Mo. LEXIS 351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-bruce-mo-1978.