Content created:2006-12-12

(South Stormont, Ontario) On December 9th , 2006, at 10:30 p.m., officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service followed a 1998 Ford Expedition hauling a Ski Doo type trailer from Cornwall Island in Akwesasne ,Ontario to Highway 401 where the driver continued to head westbound. Officers attempted to stop the truck and the driver continued until he was stopped by the officers near the Avonmore Road overpass on Highway 401 in South Stormont, Ontario. Upon further investigation, the officers discovered the trailer to contain cases of contraband cigarettes. Officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment were contacted and they seized the illegal cigarettes and the smuggling truck and trailer.

Located inside the trailer were 3,500 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes each containing 200 cigarettes that originated from the United States. This seizure represents a total of 700,000 illegal cigarettes that were intended to be sold in Canada illegally. The driver, a 19 year old male resident of Francis Jock Memorial Lane in Akwesasne, Quebec was arrested and will be charged under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product that was not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. The registered owner of the truck is a 37 year old female who resides at the same residence as provided by the driver.

As an intelligence-led organization, the RCMP works closely with Aboriginal, municipal, provincial, territorial and international organizations to enhance enforcement strategies. Shared information is designed to form the basis of our intelligence-led approach to policing. The RCMP closely monitors emerging contraband trends and can confirm that demand for illicit tobacco remains strong.

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Sgt. Michael Harvey
(613)937-2800 Ext. 293
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment