CORNWALL -- Even local smugglers caught the Olympic spirit. But that didn't stop the RCMP from catching them in the act.
On Mar. 10, RCMP seized 500 bags of contraband cigarettes stuffed inside Hockey Canada bags in a vehicle on County Rd. 2. Charges were laid against a 32-year-old Cornwall man.
While bags such as the Hockey Canada ones can be pricey, smugglers can buy them online for bargain rates.
Meanwhile, at local sports shops or embroiderers, smugglers could purchase plain 40-inch hockey bags for as little as $20.
One local sports shop employee says he's purchased as many as 25 hockey bags at a time for local teams, so he isn't quick to to pass judgment when customers purchase bags in large quantities.
"I wouldn't want the RCMP after me," says the employee, who spoke on the condition that his name or business would not be printed.
"I could turn in maybe 150 people, and then maybe only three aren't using the bags for team stuff."
The employee has seen some things that have made him suspicious though. Once, a sketchy-looking customer purchased a large number of one-piece sticks.
"They could store drugs inside there," he guessed.
Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP's Cornwall detachment said it's possible that bag purchases could be traced as part of longer-term investigations, but enforcement officers too often have their hands full to pursue such tactics.
Harvey said hockey bags have become more prevalent as smugglers frequently turn to waterways since the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) moved its customs facility north to Cornwall.
According to Harvey, signs of spring means a return to the waterways for smugglers, who try to avoid car searches at the Cornwall Port of Entry.
"You'll see them use cardboard boxes inside the hockey bags to keep the cigarettes from getting wet," Harvey said.
Seizures have already begun to spike for the RCMP's Valleyfield detachment because the area around Lake St. Francis has thawed quicker than local portions of the St. Lawrence River, Harvey said.
One benefit to waterways busts for the RCMP, Harvey said, is that it gives law enforcement more time to plan their approach as smugglers offload cargo from boats.
"It's safer," Harvey said.
Increased water use has also meant an increase in the number of complaints from the public, Harvey said.
"There are residents along the waterways who are being threatened by these organizations," Harvey said.
These threats have increased the involvement of the OPP and city police who deal with protecting the residents, Harvey said.
One recent development the RCMP has noted due to the relocation of the customs facility is an increase in the ability to execute arrest warrants.
"We're getting calls from the CBSA because they're stopping them at the bridge," Harvey said. "Before we had a harder time because if they head to Akwesasne or the U.S., it's harder to get them to come back to court.