The stated goal may be to eradicate non-taxed cigarettes, but the realized goal is to cut the State into the profits of smuggling via legal sanctions (ie. fines, asset seizure, etc). Cigarette smuggling is a very old business in NY. If the realized goal is as you say it is, then it would be have been realized already, don't you think?
Sure, but they've just added a whole new category of enforcemnet - internet sales. Think of it as a business gaining a whole new customer base.