264,000 Contraband Cigarettes Seized by the Central St. Lawrence Valley Regional Task Force

Content created:2007-02-09

(Cornwall, Ontario) On February 8th , 2007, at 6:51 a.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario. Upon approach of the driver side window, the officer observed cartons of contraband tobacco in the passenger area of the van which were partially covered with a black blanket. Sitting on top of the blanket and cigarettes were two head rests which is sometimes used as a way to hide the fact that the rear passenger seats have been removed to make room for the illegal cigarettes. Officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment were contacted and attended the scene to seize the smuggling van and cigarettes. The officers arrested the male driver.

Located inside the van were 960 cartons of Native Lights brand cigarettes and 360 cartons of Native Full Flavour brand cigarettes. This seizure represents a total of 264,000 illegal cigarettes that originated in the United States. The driver, a 23 year old male resident of Danis Street in Cornwall, Ontario was arrested and faces a charge 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. He will appear at the Cornwall Provincial Court on April 12th, 2007. The van is registered to a 29 year old male resident of John Thompson Road in Akwesasne, Ontario.

“Smugglers will use props such as passenger seat head rests in order to make it appear they have rear seats inside their smuggling vehicle instead of an illegal load of contraband cigarettes” states Sgt. Michael Harvey. Police Officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley Regional Task Force continue to recognize the methods used by organized crime groups and will disrupt the smuggling routes these groups use to move the illegal products into our communities. The public are reminded that organized crime groups want to make a financial gain from selling these illegal products and use these profits to finance other crimes affecting our communities.

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