1.5 Million Contraband Cigarettes Seized by the Central St. Lawrence Valley Regional Task Force

Content created:2007-03-26
Content revised: 2007-05-25

(Valleyfield, Quebec) During the evening of March 20th, 2007, officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment-Valleyfield and Cornwall offices as well as officers from the Quebec Provincial Police Contraband Investigative Unit known as Project ACCESS stopped three vehicles loaded with contraband cigarettes and arrested four people from Cornwall and Akwesasne. The officers seized vehicles worth $29,000 and seized 1.3 million cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States.

The first investigation had officers follow a 1999 Chevrolet pick-up truck and a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck from Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario to Highway 20 eastbound near Les Coteaux, Quebec where the two trucks were stopped. Located inside the first truck were 2,500 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. Each bag contains 200 cigarettes and is equivalent to one carton. The driver, a 56 year old female resident of Cornwall, Ontario and the passenger, a 46 year old male resident of Cornwall, Ontario were arrested and 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. Located in the second truck were 2,900 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The driver, a 54 year old resident of Akwesasne, Ontario was arrested and also faces 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. This driver is the registered owner of both trucks that were seized by the RCMP. These three people will also be charged under Section 13.1 of the Provincial Tobacco Tax Act and a conspiracy charge under Section 465 of the Criminal Code.

During the second investigation, officers from the Quebec Provincial Police Contraband Investigative Unit stopped a 1998 Chevrolet Venture van on Highway 40 eastbound near Pointe Fortune, Quebec. Located inside the van were 1,100 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The driver, a 21 year old female resident of Akwesasne, New York was arrested and faces charges under Section 13.1 of the Provincial Tobacco Tax Act. She also faces 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. The truck is registered to a male resident of Cornwall, Ontario and was handed over to the RCMP who seized the truck as it was used to transport illegal goods.

Money from contraband cigarettes funds organized criminal activities. Organized crime hurts individuals in the communities we serve. That is why detecting and deterring organized crime is one of the RCMP’s priorities. The RCMP and the Quebec Provincial Police will continue to disrupt the smuggling routes used by organized crime groups.