Politics & Government

Tobacco House "Forced" to Close

The Frankfort business canceled its tobacco license on Tuesday, after being burglarized several times in recent months.

Former Frankfort business Tobacco House canceled its tobacco license on Dec. 18 at a village hearing.

The tobacco shop, which was located at 19985 La Grange Rd., closed on Nov. 28.

Former location manager Mir Razvi said at Tuesday’s hearing that the business was forced to close.

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Tobacco House was burglarized three times in the last six months, most recently in early November. During the Nov. 4 burglary, more than 30 cartons of cigarettes were stolen.

Frankfort Deputy Police Chief Kevin Keegan said in an earlier interview with Patch that this type of criminal activity could be the work of organized crews of professional cigarette burglars. Keegan said that cigarettes are easy to move and impossible to trace. The crews resell the stolen cigarettes to convenience stores through an underground black market.

Find out what's happening in Frankfortwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Criminals who chose to commit crimes of this nature in Frankfort do so partially because of the village’s proximity to major highways, Keegan said. Burglars who target Frankfort businesses are typically residents of the south suburbs or Chicago, not of Frankfort.

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