Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Southern California have reportedly seized a massive haul of illegally imported cigarettes intercepted from two cruise ship passengers last month.

Officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport discovered roughly 150,000 cigarettes, stored in 749 cartons across 10 pieces of luggage, from a couple arriving from Ensenada, Mexico, on April 17, according to a CBP press release.

Investigation into the incident may continue, notes FOX 11 Los Angeles, and the women may be subject to penalties for violating import laws. 

Some 749 cartons of cigarettes were seized: 326 cartons of Newport 100s, 210 cartons of Marlboro Golds, 112 cartons of Marlboro Reds, 58 cartons of Newport regulars and 43 cartons of Marlboro Silvers. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

But the “immediate consequence,” Ruiz noted, “is that now there is a negative record and, by default, they have incurred a significant loss of nearly $60K.”

That loss, Ruiz continued, is realized in the seizure and destruction of the cigarettes.

“Travelers who intentionally disregard U.S. importation laws and regulations often pay a high price,” Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, said in the release.