April 20, 2007
(Cornwall, Ontario) On April 19th, 2007, at 6:30 a.m., officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 1998 Ford pick-up truck on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario after observing the truck driving around on Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario. Officers were able to identify the driver as a 42 year old male resident of River Road in Southwold, Ontario. As a result, the driver will be charged under authority of the Indian Act for Trespassing on the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. While advising the driver of this offence, officers located several cases of contraband tobacco. The Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment was contacted and officers attended the scene to arrest the driver and seize the truck with contraband tobacco.
Located inside the truck were 1,250 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes worth $27,500. This represents a total of 250,000 cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. Officers also seized $7,370 that was located on the driver and inside the passenger area of the truck. The driver of the truck was questioned and later released and this investigation continues. He faces possible charges under the Excise Act 2001 and the Criminal Code. The registered owner of the truck is a 53 year old male resident of Townline Road in Southwold, Ontario.
The combined efforts of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police and the RCMP will ensure that the communities they serve remain safe from the illegal activities of organized crime groups. Taking illegal products and cash away from smugglers sends out a strong message that crime does not pay.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment
(613)937-2831
Chief of Police Lewis Mitchell
Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service
(613)575-2340