MI - Man arrested for trying to smuggle 10,000 aluminium cans across states

[Tarasoft11]

full article: http://bit.ly/2bXc3L8

"A Michigan man is facing up to five years jail time after a traffic stop revealed his alleged "Seinfeld"-inspired scheme to cash in 10,000 aluminum cans he drove across state lines.In Michigan, a person can get 10 cents back for every bottle or can. Compare that to five cents in other states, and you can see the alleged motive here. Coincidence or not, a similar plot was featured in a 1996 "Seinfeld" episode titled "The Bottle Deposit." Just one problem: it is illegal to bring cans in from a different state and make a profit from it."

 

[glf]

What a stupid rule!

 

[Dockins]

Slow day for police? "Smuggling" cans, lol.

 

[bluesneakers]

This piece has some more information:


Man faces prison after allegedly trying to deposit 10,000 bottles in Michigan

Brian Everidge, who is accused of attempting to “return” more than 10,000 bottles from other states, faces up to five years in prison for one felony count of beverage return of non-refundable bottles.

The incident dates to late April, when a Michigan state trooper pulled over Everidge – who was driving a rented Budget box truck in Tyrone Township, Michigan, about 40 miles north-west of Detroit – for speeding.

The officer, Clifford Lyden, testified at a court hearing on Thursday that Everidge’s truck was filled with plastic bags holding thousands of aluminum cans.

[snip]

Beyond the higher return, Michigan’s 10-cent deposit also made a significant dent in increasing bottle recycling in the state. Michigan has the highest redemption rate for bottles in the US, according to a 2013 state report. The deposit cost is tacked on to the price when an individual purchases a beverage. Retailers each year receive 25% of unclaimed deposits, while Michigan transfers the remainder to a trust fund held by the state’s environmental agency, which uses the money for various waste production and pollution efforts. In 2010, the unclaimed deposits totalled $17.3m, the state report said.

But the deposit rate has for years attracted scammers, particularly in communities along the state’s borders. State lawmakers have proposed legislation in recent years to crack down on smugglers, including additional criminal penalties.

 

[Dockins]

When I was little in SC, (mid 80's), we got a dime a bottle from the Pepsi plant. We would spend weekends digging through ditches, trash, and God knows where else to find bottles to cash in for church youth trips. We never collected cans because they weren't as lucrative. Oh, nothing is like digging in a snake infested ditch for a mud filled bottle...good times, lol.
The link from blue sneakers makes more sense as to why he was arrested. So, I'm guessing he had bottles and not cans as stated in the original article?

 

[glf]

I remember when my kids were little and I would go out collecting cans just to try to make ends meet for a day or two before pay day. And work at it all one day, and get a lousy 42 cents a pound.
So that way, maybe get a half gallon of milk and a pack of smokes. And anywhere I have ever lived, you could sell cans, and you could take cardboard and plastic jugs for recycling, but that was just a courtesy thing, you never got a penny. I would usually save plastic because the bins were at the grocery store, someplace I had to go anyway.

 

[glf]

Ditto!!

 

[BrownRice]

Surprised at how many criminals are arrested because of traffic infractions. If I was breaking the law, I'd have my cruise control set for the speed and would check my brake lights every 10 miles.

Have a hard time defining this chap as a criminal though.

 

[jjenny]

Now this is the crime of the century.

 

[glf]

They should be happy. This guy's ultimate goal was to make some money, but in the long run, he was being productive by getting bottles and cans that were littering the city streets and the highways. I wish more people who need extra cash would do things like this instead of trying to steal from the grocery store or spend two hrs standing in line at the local food bank.