Feb 21, 2007

(Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec) On February 20th, 2007, at 8:15 p.m, officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment Valleyfield and Cornwall offices, the Ottawa RCMP Customs and Excise Unit, the Quebec Provincial Police and officers from the Canadian Border Services Agency stopped a 2002 Ford F-150 pick-up truck and a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck travelling together on Highway 20 eastbound near Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec during a contraband smuggling operation. The RCMP arrested the two drivers and seized the contraband cigarettes and smuggling trucks.

Located inside the two trucks were 1,750 re-sealable bags of Light Flavour contraband cigarettes and 750 re-sealable bags of Full Flavour contraband cigarettes that originated from the United States. This seizure represents a total of 500,000 illegal cigarettes. The 20 year old male driver and registered owner of the Ford F-150 pick-up truck, a resident of County Road 18 in Martintown, Ontario and the 23 year old male driver of the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck, a resident of Florence Road in Glen Robertson, Ontario were arrested and will face charges 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. They will also face charges under the Quebec Provincial Tobacco Tax Act. The registered owner of the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck is a 22 year old female resident of Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario.

This operation demonstrates the close working relationship with many law enforcement agencies working together to disrupt the smuggling supply routes used by organized crime groups in moving the illegal cigarettes from the United States into our Canadian communities. The loss in tax dollars from the illegal sales of cigarettes affects the entire Canadian public. “Our common goal as law enforcement agencies is to keep our communities safe from the illegal activities of organized crime groups. Those groups sole purpose is to make financial gains from our citizens”, states Sgt. Michael Harvey.

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Sgt. Michael Harvey
(613)937-2831
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment