959,800 Contraband Cigarettes Seized by the Central St. Lawrence Valley Regional Task Force

Content created:2007-03-30
Content revised: 2007-05-25

(Cornwall, Ontario) During the past week, officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped four vehicles in Cornwall and Akwesasne, Ontario that were loaded with 959,800 contraband cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. Four people were questioned and officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment were contacted to seize the contraband cigarettes and smuggling vehicles.

On March 23rd, 2007, at 8:00 p.m., officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 1993 GMC Sierra pick-up truck on Brookdale Avenue northbound in Cornwall, Ontario. An RCMP officer arrived on the scene to question the driver under the Customs Act and a subsequent search revealed the truck to be loaded with 2,500 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The driver, a 30 year old male resident of Lasalle, Quebec, was arrested and will be charged 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 38 year old female resident of John Thompson Road in Akwesasne, Ontario.

On March 24th, 2007, at 6:00 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service attended a scene of a motor vehicle accident on the west end of Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario. The vehicle in question, a 2005 Honda Civic, ended up in a ditch. The driver of the vehicle, a 26 year old female resident of County Road 7 in Napanee, Ontario, advised the officer that she was transporting contraband cigarettes. Officers from the RCMP were contacted and seized the smuggling vehicle and contraband cigarettes. Located inside the vehicle were 599 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The vehicle is registered to a 53 year old male resident of Braeside Crescent in Kingston, Ontario. The investigation in this matter continues.

On March 27th, 2007, at 8:05 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 1994 Plymouth Voyager van as it turned into the parking lot of the Brookdale Mall in Cornwall, Ontario. When the officer was questioning the driver, she could detect a strong odour of tobacco. Subsequent investigation revealed that the passenger seats were removed from the van and a blanket was covering cases of contraband tobacco. Officers from the RCMP attended the scene to seize the smuggling van and contraband tobacco. Located inside the van were 1,250 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The driver who is the registered owner of the van, a 47 year old female resident of Adolphus Street in Cornwall, Ontario, was questioned by police. The investigation into this matter continues.

Finally, on March 28th, 2007, at 1:10 p.m., officers from the Akwesasne Police Service and the RCMP stopped a 1994 Nissan Maxima on Brookdale Avenue northbound in Cornwall, Ontario. The driver was questioned and could not state where he was coming from. A subsequent search under the Customs Act found the trunk area of the vehicle to contain 450 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The driver, a 26 year old male resident of County Road 7 in Napanee, Ontario, was questioned with his role in the possession of a tobacco product that was not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. This vehicle is registered to the same male who owned the Honda Civic involved in the accident and that contained contraband cigarettes on March 24th in Akwesasne. Both drivers reside with each other. The investigation into these matters continues.

All of the vehicles stopped were coming from Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario and none of the drivers were residents of the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. There appears to be many people behind the organizations that continue to use the geography of the border Canada shares with the United States in Akwesasne and police will continue to disrupt and hinder these illegal activities to ensure the communities along the border remain safe and secure.

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

Chief of Police Lewis Mitchell
(613)575-2340
Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service