May 8, 2007
(Cornwall, Ontario) On May 3rd, 2007, at 8:25 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a 1997 Dodge Caravan drive onto Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario. Investigation of the registered owner of the van showed that the van was registered to a resident of Lunenburg, Ontario. Shortly after, the officer observed the same van near the toll booth about to leave Cornwall Island when the van was stopped. The officer approached the driver and observed cases of contraband tobacco in plain view. The driver was held until officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment arrived to question the driver under authority of the Customs Act. The RCMP arrested the driver and seized the smuggling van as well as the 1,250 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes located inside. This represents 250,000 cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada worth $27,500.
The driver and registered owner of the Dodge Caravan, a 21 year old male resident of County Road 29 in Lunenburg, Ontario will be charged by the RCMP 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. He will also be charged by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police for trespassing under authority of the Indian Act as well as offences under the Highway Traffic Act. He was released to appear in Cornwall Court on June 21st, 2007.
Several laws such as the Excise Act 2001, the Tobacco Tax Act and some provincial Acts govern the sale or possession of tobacco products. Under these laws, whether federal or provincial, the consequences of dealing in illegal tobacco products are serious. Offenders are liable to substantial fines, confiscation of their property and a prison term of up to five years.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
(613)937-2831
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment
Chief of Police Lewis Mitchell
Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service
(613)575-2340