Sept 8, 2007
(Cornwall, September 8, 2006) On September 6th, 2006, at 10:00 p.m., a police officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a suspicious 2005 Chevrolet Cube Van on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario after following it off the Ontario portion of the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. The driver advised the officer that he had a load of BIC brand lighters. The Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment was called to investigate under the Customs Act. Further investigation revealed that the lighters were smuggled into Canada and that the lighters are illegal in Canada as they do not meet Canadian safety standards. Located inside the cube van were 92,100 BIC brand lighters worth approximately $32,000 US dollars. The 27 year old male driver, a resident of Mississauga, Ontario, was arrested and questioned. Customs and Excise Act as well as other Federal Act charges are pending in this investigation. The Cube van is owned by an Auto company from Burlington, Ontario.
On September 7th, 2006, at 3:20 a.m., members of the Ontario Provincial Police stopped a Chevrolet Suburban vehicle on Highway 401 westbound at Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario for a Highway Traffic Act violation. The officer approached the driver and observed the rear seats removed from the vehicle and could observe cases of contraband cigarettes covered with blankets. The lone male driver was arrested and the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment was contacted to seize the contraband cigarettes and the smuggling vehicle. Located in the vehicle were 1,000 cartons of DK brand cigarettes worth a value of $22,000. The 18 year old male driver, a resident of Hogansburg, New York will face charges under section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 (unlawful possession of a tobacco product that was not stamped in accordance with the provisions of the Excise Act 2001).
Police continue to disrupt the smuggling routes used by organized crime groups. The sharing of resources and intelligence will assist the police in dismantling the hierarchy of these crime groups who are making huge profits from the illegal sales of the smuggled goods.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
(613) 937-2800 Ext. 293
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment