And several post office officials questioned why states do not devote more resources to crack down on illegal cigarette sellers.

Online cigarette sellers say they take a variety of steps to prevent minors from buying cigarettes, but the study found that they were largely worthless and generally not enforced.

An 18-year-old cigarette seller who gave only his first name, Agim, said he had been just 20 paces away.

California, which has a tax of 87 cents a pack, enacted two laws this year aimed largely at online cigarette sellers.

Those who work with the online cigarette sellers differ on how much the new laws will affect business.

Now there are all these money-changers, cigarette sellers, men in fatigues and guns hanging around.

"There is nothing else to do at night in Mogadishu," said Mohammed Dahir Dirir, 26, a cigarette seller who goes to the movies several times a week.

The accord is a big defeat for tobacco companies, notably Philip Morris, the largest cigarette seller in Europe.

Come dark, the vendors and pedestrians clogging its streets yield to cigarette sellers and hookers.

Some online cigarette sellers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were exploring ways to create their own credit cards, perhaps in association with other online tobacco sellers.