Vehicle stopped at OPP checkpoint leads to RCMP seizure of 238.3 kilograms of fine cut tobacco

RCMP Press Release

CORNWALL, ON, Aug. 21 - Two female residents of Cornwall, Ontario ages 25 and 23 are facing charges under the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped, after their vehicle was stopped by the Ontario Provincial Police at a document checkpoint on the Highway 401 eastbound on-ramp at McConnell Avenue in Cornwall.

On August 20th, 2008 at 2:25 p.m., O.P.P. officers stopped a 1997 Buick Century and asked the driver to produce documents for the vehicle when several garbage bags of tobacco were observed inside. Officers from the Cornwall RCMP Detachment were contacted to assist and the RCMP officers seized 12 garbage bags containing 238.3 kilograms of fine cut tobacco with an estimated value of $21,447. The tobacco is believed to have been manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada. The 1997 Buick Century worth an estimated $3,075 was also seized. The driver was also issued an Automobile Insurance Act ticket by the O.P.P. officer for failing to produce an insurance card. Both will appear at the Cornwall court on September 29th, 2008.

"The rear seat of the vehicle was removed to transport the illegal tobacco," said Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP. "Contraband tobacco that is smuggled into Canada 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."