July 9, 2007
(Cornwall, Ontario) On July 5th, 2007, at 4:30 p.m., officers from the Ontario Provincial Police were conducting a R.I.D.E. Program seatbelt check at the Highway 401 Eastbound onramp located on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario when officers observed two passenger vans loaded with contraband cigarettes. In the first van described as a 1998 Plymouth Voyageur van, officers noticed that a black blanket covering loose re-sealable bags had moved while the van was in transit and revealed to the officers loose re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. In the second van described as a 2004 Chevrolet Venture van, the black blanket also had shifted in transit and officers observed cardboard cases of contraband cigarettes. The two drivers were detained while officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment were contacted. An RCMP officer arrived at the scene and searched both vehicles locating contraband cigarettes. He arrested the two female drivers and seized the smuggling vans with contraband cigarettes. Located in the Venture van were 1,150 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. Located in the Voyageur van were 1,200 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes also manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. The total value of the cigarettes is $51,700. This represents a total of 470,000 cigarettes that were destined to be sold illegally.
The driver of the Voyageur van, a 23 year old female resident of River Road in Akwesasne, Quebec and the driver and registered owner of the Venture van, a 25 year old female resident of River Road in Akwesasne, Quebec will both face charges by the RCMP under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. They were released and will appear at the Cornwall Court on August 13th, 2007.
The illicit tobacco trade is big business. Our objective is to prevent the sale and distribution of illegal products. Contraband cigarettes that were smuggled from the United States ends up largely in the smoke shacks found in some Canadian Aboriginal communities. Street dealers also partake in the process and increasingly concerning is that certain retailers have been involved in the distribution of contraband cigarettes.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment
(613) 937-2831