Is Out-of-State Booze Worth the Risk?

Pennsylvania's state liquor stores prompt some people to drive across the border to New Jersey or Delaware to better prices or choice—but that is illegal.

Some Pennsylvania residents were busted by the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for trying to bring Delaware-purchased alcohol into the commonwealth earlier in May, according to Main Line Media News.

More than 300 bottles of beer and 100 bottles of wine were reportedly confiscated from two Delaware alcohol stores in a 4 1/2-hour span. 

Read the full story here.

Though it's safe to assume that most residents who might cross state lines to pick up cheaper alcohol aren’t buying bottles by the dozen, even one bottle crossing into the Keystone State from parts unknown is against the rules, according to the Liquor Control Board.

"Generally bringing any liquor, including wine, into Pennsylvania is illegal," according to the state liquor code. "Similarly … [the liquor code] prohibits any person … from processing or transporting any liquor or wine … that has not been purchased from a Pennsylvania wine and spirits store or a board-licenses limited winery or distillery."

The same holds for beer drinkers; the code states that "it is unlawful for any person to transport ... any malt or brewed beverages."

In other words, any time you run to New Jersey or Delaware for a bottle of liquor or a case of beer, you are breaking the law.

There is no denying that alcohol is cheaper to purchase in other states than it is here. On the Liquor Board’s website, it lists the prices it sells alcohol for, and cross-checking that with out-of-state prices might explain why people take the risk in crossing the border with out-of-state booze. A bottle of Dewar’s White Label Scotch will run $41.99 in a state-controlled store, while that same bottle will cost $32.99 at Tri-State Liquors, a Delaware-based liquor store (and one of the stores watched by patrols in Main Line Media News' story).

Patch wants to know: Would you cross state lines to get cheaper alcohol, knowing that it is against state law? Does the reduced price make it worth the risk? Do you think it should be legal to cross state lines with alcohol? Tell us in the comments below.