June 29, 2007
(Cornwall, Ontario) Between June 25th, 2007 and June 26th, 2007 officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped four vehicles that were observed traveling on the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. During their investigation the officers observed or suspected that the vehicles were loaded with contraband tobacco and contacted officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment. As a result, the RCMP officers seized 950,000 contraband cigarettes worth $104,500 from the four vehicles and seized the smuggling vehicles. These cigarettes were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada.
The first stop occurred on June 25th at 12:05 p.m., when officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 1998 Chevrolet C-15 pick-up truck near the toll booth on Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario. The officers suspected that the truck was loaded with contraband cigarettes and contacted officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment who attended the scene. RCMP officers questioned the driver who denied having any contraband cigarettes. A subsequent search of the truck revealed it to be loaded with 180 cartons of Native Lights brand cigarettes, 120 cartons of Native Full Flavor brand cigarettes and 700 cartons of DK brand cigarettes. The driver, a 44 year old male resident of Third Street West in Cornwall, Ontario, was released at the scene and the investigation continues. The pick-up truck was seized and is registered to a 46 year old female resident of Andrew Johnson Road in Akwesasne, New York.
The second stop occurred on June 25th, 2007 at 8:45 p.m., when an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a 1999 Pontiac Montana van attempting to evade police in the area he was patrolling on Cornwall Island in Akwesasne, Ontario. On one occasion the officer observed the driver attempting to hide the van in a residential driveway. The officer finally was able to stop the van near the Port of Entry on Cornwall Island. Upon approaching the van the officer was able to observe cases of contraband cigarettes in plain view. The driver and passenger were questioned and subsequent investigation revealed that the driver is prohibited from driving for life. Officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment were contacted and attended the scene. The RCMP officers searched the van and found it to contain 950 re-sealable bags of light flavour cigarettes and 200 re-sealable bags of full flavour cigarettes. The driver, a 33 year old male resident of Second Street in Akwesasne, Quebec as well as the passenger, a 28 year old male resident of Second Street in Akwesasne, Quebec were arrested and 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. The RCMP also charged the driver for driving while disqualified under authority of the Criminal Code. The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service issued a Highway Traffic Offence ticket to the driver for driving with no licence. Both were released to appear in the Cornwall court on August 13th, 2007. The seized van is registered to an auto sales company located on Pitt Street in Cornwall, Ontario.
The third stop occurred on June 25th, 2007 at 10:19 p.m., when an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a 2001 Pontiac Montana van traveling eastbound on Island Road in Akwesasne, Ontario and where the driver acted suspicious when eye contact was made with the officer. At that moment the driver turned north towards Cornwall, Ontario and began to speed on the Seaway Bridge. The officer observed the driver pass on the bridge in the face of oncoming traffic and it was at that point that the officer activated his emergency equipment to stop the van due to the unsafe passing. The driver pulled over on Rosemount Drive in Cornwall, Ontario. As the officer was about to exit his police vehicle, the driver sped away and the police pursued. Police observed the van exceeding 130 kilometres per hour and it failed to stop at the intersection of Rosemont and Vincent Massey Drive. Officers from the Cornwall Community Police Service as well as from the Ontario Provincial Police were contacted for assistance. At 10:26 p.m., the van was stopped on Vincent Massey Drive in Cornwall, Ontario and the driver was arrested by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service. The driver who was carrying no identification was subsequently identified as Robert Joseph Samson who is a 27 year old resident of Beckwith Street in Smith Falls, Ontario. He was asked why he sped away from police and he advised it was because he had contraband cigarettes inside the van. Officers seized the van and contacted the RCMP. Samson was escorted from the scene by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service to the RCMP detachment to be questioned for the possession of contraband cigarettes. Samson was then held in custody by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service for a bail hearing after being charged for several offences due to evading the police and driving dangerously. The RCMP processed the cigarette seizure and seized 250 re-sealable bags of full flavour cigarettes and 1,100 re-sealable bags of light flavour cigarettes. The van was seized by the RCMP and is registered to a resident of Colonade Road in Sarsfield, Ontario. The RCMP continues their investigation into the possession of unstamped tobacco under the Excise Act 2001.
Finally, on June 26th, 2007, at 9:47 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a 2004 GMC Safari van traveling northbound on the International Road in Akwesasne, Ontario and observed the driver act suspiciously when the two made eye contact. The officer stopped the van on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario after making some queries on the licence of the van. When approaching the driver the officer observed in plain view cases of contraband cigarettes and could also smell the odour of cigarettes. An officer from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment was contacted and attended the scene. The officer searched the van and seized 1,250 re-sealable bags of light flavour cigarettes. The driver, a 45 year old male resident of Muskoka Road 38 in Bala, Ontario was arrested and will be charged for 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 was released to appear in the Cornwall court on August 16th, 2007. The seized van is registered to a 38 year old female resident of Akwesasne, Ontario.
Public safety and security is our fundamental priority. The contraband tobacco market is without a doubt lucrative, especially to the heads of the criminal organizations involved, who sometimes use their profits to fund illegal activity.
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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