Via masslive.com. A New York man was arrested over the weekend for transporting $36,000 in rum, whiskey, sambuca and other booze through the state, violating a little-known Massachusetts law.
Massachusetts State Police said Jia Chen, 36, of Flushing, New York, was arrested on Saturday for unlawful transport of liquor. He was pulled over on Rt. 495 when trooper Randy Morales allegedly saw him making unsafe lane changes. As the trooper approached the vehicle, he noticed various liquor boxes stacked to the roof line, filling almost the entire passenger compartment with cases of Bacardi, Jack Daniels, Ketel One and more, valued at over $36,000. The police said the floor was reinforced to carry heavy loads!
There's a law on the Massachusetts books that bans anyone from transporting more than 20 gallons of malt beverages or three gallons of any other alcoholic beverage without a permit. Sounds like less than you would bring for some Patriots tailgating!
Just so you can do the math on your next packy run, there are about 2.25 gallons of beer in a standard case. Hard alcohol is typically sold in liters and there are 3.75 liters to a gallon.
The whole point of the law is to prevent people from buying booze in states that don't charge tax, and then reselling it. So you just know this guy was coming back from New Hampshire.
photos: Massachusetts State Police