General enforcement provisions

(a) This article shall be enforced by the State Tax Commissioner and the Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner and for the purpose of enforcing this article, the commissioners may request information from any state agency, Constitutional officer or local agency and, notwithstanding the provisions of section five-d, article ten, chapter eleven of this code or any other provision of this code, may share information with, and request information from, any federal agency and any agency or Constitutional officer of this or any other state or any local agency thereof. (b) A person that acquires, holds, owns, possesses, transports in or imports into this state cigarettes that are subject to this article shall, with respect to the cigarettes, maintain and keep all records required pursuant to article seventeen, chapter eleven of this code. (c) In addition to any other remedy provided by law, any person may bring an action for appropriate injunctive or other equitable relief for a violation of this article; actual damages, if any, sustained by reason of the violation; and, as determined by the court, interest on the damages from the date of complaint, taxable costs, and reasonable attorney's fees. If the trier of fact finds that the violation is flagrant, it may increase recovery to an amount not in excess of three times the actual damages sustained by reason of the violation.