Two Traffic Stops Net 3,185 Kilograms of Raw Leaf Tobacco and 500,000 Contraband Cigarettes

Content created:2007-03-09
Content revised: 2007-05-25

(Cornwall, Ontario) On March 6th, 2007, at 9:00 a.m., an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police Alexandria Detachment stopped a 2006 Ford Econoline Box Truck on Highway 401 east of Summerstown Road in the Township of South Glengarry, Ontario as a result of a Highway Traffic Act investigation. Subsequent investigation revealed the truck was loaded with bales of raw leaf tobacco not packaged or stamped that was being transported from the Six Nations Reserve in Brantford, Ontario to Kahnawake, Quebec. Officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment were contacted to seize the tobacco and arrest the driver.

Officers seized 165 bales of raw leaf tobacco weighing 3,185 kilograms located inside the rental truck. The driver, a 48 year old male resident of Hagersville, Ontario was arrested under Section 30(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a raw tobacco not packaged and stamped. The truck is registered to a truck rental company from Brantford, Ontario. The current price paid for raw leaf tobacco by Canadian cigarette manufacturers is $3.56 per kilogram when purchased through the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board. It is unknown where this tobacco was purchased.

On March 8th, 2007, at 6:30 a.m., an officer from the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police stopped a 1995 Chevrolet pick-up truck on Highway 401 westbound at Wales Road in the Township of South Stormont, Ontario. Subsequent investigation revealed that the truck was loaded with contraband cigarettes. Officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment were contacted to seize the smuggling truck and illegal cigarettes.

Officers seized 2,500 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes representing 500,000 cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States. A 37 year old male driver and registered owner of the truck, a resident of Cornwall, Ontario was questioned and later released.

Police officers are concerned for the safety of our citizens on local highways when goods are transported illegally. The seizure of raw leaf tobacco on our highways in Eastern Ontario is not common but it demonstrates that there is a supply route between Ontario and Quebec to keep up with the demand of illicit cigarettes. The RCMP and our partner law enforcement agencies will continue to disrupt these supply routes to ensure that our communities remain safe.

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