June 29, 2007
(Valleyfield, Quebec) On April 5th, 2007, police officers from the Quebec Provincial Police Highway Patrol Unit out of the Montérégie West detachment stopped a 1996 Chevrolet Astro passenger van on Highway 20 near Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec for a Highway Traffic Act verification. Officers located 850 cartons of Native Full Flavor brand cigarettes and 550 cartons of Native Lights brand cigarettes. This represents a total of 280,000 contraband cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. The value of these cigarettes is $30,800. The Quebec Provincial Police seized the illegal cigarettes and arrested the driver. Evita Andrea Stacey, a 27 year old female resident of Rockaway, New York, was charged under authority of the Tobacco Tax Act. Samples of the illegal cigarettes were handed over to the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment- Valleyfield Office and officers charged Stacey under authority of 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.
You may recall that Evita Stacey was recently arrested on May 15th, 2007 on Highway 20 near Les Cèdres, Quebec with two other women for possession of 1,000,000 contraband cigarettes and she remains in custody on those charges. Stacey also was arrested in 2004 for a similar offence. The van was returned to the registered owner who resides in Akwesasne, Ontario because it was in such poor condition. Provisions of the Excise Act 2001 allow for repeat offenders to face a jail sentence if found guilty as well as the maximum fine allowable. Just in the last two incidents Evita Stacey could receive a combined fine of $314,880 under authority of the Excise Act 2001 as well as fines under the Tobacco Tax Act. It is highly probable that if found guilty Stacey will be sentenced to a jail term.
On May 18th, 2007, officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment- Valleyfield Office observed a 1997 Ford F-150 pick-up truck traveling northbound on Highway 540 and eventually it was stopped on Highway 342 in Hudson, Quebec. Officers found the truck to be loaded with 720 cartons of Captain Black and Prime Time cigars as well as 15 cases of pipe tobacco. This represents 144,000 cigars worth $108,000 and 61,236 grams of pipe tobacco worth $10,287.65 that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. The driver who is also the registered owner of the truck, a 33 year old male resident of Wade Memorial Road in Akwesasne, Ontario was arrested and the truck worth $6,000 was seized under authority of the Excise Act 2001. This investigation continues and no charges have been laid.
Offenders of the Excise Act 2001 are liable to substantial fines, confiscation of their property and a prison term of up to five years. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in partnership with other law enforcement and government agencies, is working to put a stop to this activity.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
(613)937-2831
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment