July 27, 2007
Valleyfield, Quebec - On July 26th, 2007, in the early morning hours, intelligence officers from the Canada Border Services Agency, police officers from the Quebec Provincial Police and police officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment- Valleyfield Office stopped three vehicles loaded with contraband tobacco and arrested four people while conducting a joint tobacco smuggling operation. A total of 3,456 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes were seized by the RCMP that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. This represents 691,200 contraband cigarettes worth $76,032 that were not properly packaged or stamped and were destined to be sold illegally. Three vehicles worth $31,500 were also seized.
At 6:50 a.m, officers stopped a 1994 Pontiac Transport van in the town of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. Officers located and seized 900 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes. The driver, a 50 year old female resident of L'Acadie Boulevard in Montréal, Quebec and the passenger, a 46 year old female resident of Durocher Street in Montréal, 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 not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. They also face charges by the Quebec Provincial Police under authority of the Tobacco Tax Act. The RCMP also seized the van which is registered to a 54 year old male resident of Querbes Avenue in Montréal, Quebec.
At 9:05 a.m., officers stopped a 2006 Ford F-150 pick-up truck on Highway 20 in Les Cèdres, Quebec. Officers located and seized 1,650 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes as well as the smuggling truck. The driver, identified as 30 year old George Locke of Adolphus Street in Cornwall, Ontario was arrested and charged 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. He was also charged for a breach of probation under authority of the Criminal Code and was held for a bail hearing to take place on July 27th, 2007. He also faces charges by the Quebec Provincial Police under authority of the Tobacco Tax Act. The truck is registered to an automobile rental agency in Ottawa, Ontario.
The last stop occurred at 9:12 a.m. when officers stopped a 1997 Chrysler Concorde in the town of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. Officers located and seized 906 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes as well as the smuggling vehicle. The driver, a 19 year old female resident of Post Road in Cornwall, Ontario was arrested and will be charged 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. She also will be charged by the Quebec Provincial Police under authority of the Tobacco Tax Act. Police still must determine who the registered owner of the vehicle is.
Several laws such as the Excise Act 2001, the Customs Act, and the various provincial Tobacco Tax Acts govern the sale, possession and importation of tobacco products. Under these laws, whether federal or provincial, the consequences of dealing in illegal tobacco products are serious. Let’s not forget, those who knowingly purchase or sell contraband tobacco could be helping to fund organized crime and other illicit activity including drug and firearm trafficking.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment
613-937-2831