CORNWALL — A 51-year-old Ohsweken man faces charges under the Excise Act for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped.
A news release from the RCMP says that the OPP stopped a westbound cube truck on Highway 401, near Cornwall, on Dec. 18.
During the inspection, officers observed cardboard boxes of contraband cigarettes. The Cornwall RCMP Detachment was contacted to assist.
The driver was arrested.
“We believe that the contraband cigarettes were manufactured in
the United States as well as in Canada”, said Sgt. Michael Harvey of
the RCMP. “These cigarettes were picked up from an organization
located on the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in Quebec and destined for Six Nations in Ontario where the criminal organizations will distribute them for illegal sale”.
Seized were 6,200 resealable bags of contraband cigarettes, 1,000
cartons of Discount Tips Canadian Blend brand cigarettes, 101 cartons of Native All Natural brand cigarettes and 500 cartons of Canadian brand cigarettes.
The truck was rented from a Brantford rental agency.
Also seized were two 1.75-litre bottles of Port Royal West Indies Rum, one 1.75-litre bottle of Canadian Leaf Canadian Whiskey, and one 1.75-litre bottle of Odesse Distilled London Dry Gin. The liquor is believed to have been produced in the United States.
The driver is to appear in court in Cornwall on Jan. 29