Content created:2007-08-02
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec - On July 31st, 2007, at 5:20 p.m., officers from the Quebec Provincial Police stopped a 2000 Venture van that was speeding on Highway 40 near Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. Police also noticed that there were two different Ontario license plates affixed to the van. Officers observed cases of contraband tobacco inside the van and they contacted officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment- Valleyfield Office to attend the scene. The RCMP seized 1,250 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. This represents 250,000 contraband cigarettes worth $27,500 that were not properly packaged or stamped and were destined to be sold illegally.
The driver, a 43 year old female resident of Michael Delormier Road in Akwesasne, 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 will also be charged by the Quebec Provincial Police under authority of the Tobacco Tax Act. The van, which is valued at $5,500 and registered to a 30 year old male resident of McDonald Road in Akwesasne, Ontario, was also seized by the RCMP.
The illegal tobacco trade is receiving a great deal of public attention, not only from the media, but from health groups, retail associations, the tobacco industry, and concerned community leaders. The clear message about the illicit tobacco trade is that it is a serious public safety issue with links to organized crime.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment
613-937-2831