OTTAWA — A Gatineau man convicted of possessing almost half a million contraband cigarettes has been fined $193,000 by a judge in Windsor, Ont.
Peter Sheim was charged by the Ministry of Revenue's special investigation branch after Windsor police seized 473,600 unmarked cigarettes from his car in April, 2009. The cigarettes were turned over to the Ontario government.
In addition to the fine, Sheim will also pay $48,250 to the province's Victims' Justice Fund.
Sheim was convicted in a Windsor court on Jan. 26 for possession of unmarked cigarettes for the purpose of selling.
Over the past two years, approximately 75 million illegal cigarettes have been seized in Ontario.