Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service vehicle check leads to RCMP cigarette seizure

CORNWALL, ON, July 16 - An Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service check of a pickup truck abandoned at a Thirteenth Street convenience store in Cornwall has resulted in the seizure of 1,200 resealable bags of cigarettes by the RCMP. On July 15th, 2008, an officer with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service was following a 1997 Ford pickup truck from Akwesasne, Ontario, when a second vehicle slowed the officer down, preventing him from stopping the pickup truck. The pickup then sped away at a high rate of speed. At 8:25 a.m. the officer located the vehicle and observed the lone male driver running from the vehicle. Members of the RCMP's Cornwall Detachment attended and seized 240,000 cigarettes worth an estimated $26,400. The cigarettes are believed to have been manufactured in the United States. The pickup truck, worth an estimated $5,825 was also seized. The driver was not located.

"Our police forces will continue to work together to ensure that those who do not obey the laws are stopped," said Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP' Cornwall Detachment. The investigation continues.