Topic: Ban Damage
Gray Market: smuggled cigarettes
Cigs smuggler simply swamped -ON
By KENNETH JACKSON, Sun Media
Things got a little sticky for a 24-year-old alleged cigarette smuggler when he got stuck in a swamp trying to evade police.
OPP said the Cornwall-area suspect, a 24-year-old man, was driving on Dickinson Dr., in the town of Ingleside around 4:30 p.m. Friday when an officer attempted to pull over the Dodge Ram pickup.
When the officer activated the emergency lights the truck sped up and turned onto Dafoe Road. He had trouble negotiating a sharp turn, drove into a private yard and got stuck in a swamp.
A short foot chase ensued. The driver was caught in a bush area near the scene. Police found 22 cases of contraband cigarettes.
The man is charged with flight from a police officer, dangerous driving, breach of probation and possession of unmarked cigarettes.
He was scheduled to appear in Cornwall court.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/05/12/5541436.html
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Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service Stop a Vehicle which leads to the seizure of 370,000 Cigarettes by the Cornwall RCMP Detachment
May 9, 2008 17:46
AKWESASNE, ON, May 9 /CNW/ - On May 6th, 2008, at 10:28 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche on International Road driving northbound in Akwesasne, Ontario. While following the vehicle, the officer noticed that the rear tail gate was open and could see a large quantity of clear re-sealable bags of cigarettes. Officers from the Cornwall RCMP detachment were contacted and attended the scene. The RCMP officers seized 1,850 re-sealable bags of cigarettes that are believed to be manufactured in the United States. This represents 370,000 cigarettes worth $40,700. Each bag is equivalent to a carton containing 200 cigarettes.
The driver, a 40 year old male resident of Hebert Street in Cornwall, Ontario was arrested and will be charged by the RCMP under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001, and by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service for trespassing on an Indian Reserve under authority of the Indian Act. He was released and will appear at the Cornwall court on June 12th, 2008. The truck, valued at $18,200, was also seized by the RCMP.
"Although we cannot speak to the day-to-day enforcement activities of Aboriginal Police Services, we are proud of the cooperation and working relationships established between the RCMP and the many Aboriginal law enforcement services" states Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/09/c7084.html
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Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service Stop a Rental Cube Van which leads to the seizure of 650,000 Cigarettes by the Cornwall RCMP Detachment -ON
May 9, 2008
CORNWALL, ON, May 9 /CNW/ - On May 8th, 2008, at 9:18 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped a 2007 GMC cube van on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario after following it from Akwesasne, Ontario. The officer questioned the driver at which time the driver admitted he was transporting cigarettes. Officers from the Cornwall RCMP detachment were contacted and attended the scene. The RCMP officers seized 3,250 re-sealable bags of cigarettes that are believed to be manufactured in the United States. This represents 650,000 cigarettes worth $71,500.
The driver, a 45 year old male resident of Regent Road in Hawkesbury, Ontario as well as the 41 year old male passenger who is a resident of Cadieux Road in Hawkesbury, Ontario were arrested and will be charged by the RCMP under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. The 2 men were released and will appear at the Cornwall court on June 9th, 2008. The rental vehicle was also seized by the RCMP. Both men will also be charged by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service for trespassing on an Indian Reserve under authority of the Indian Act.
"Working together, our police forces have more leverage and resources to fight crime" states Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/09/c7082.html
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390,000 Contraband Cigarettes Seized by the Cornwall RCMP Detachment
May 9, 2008
CORNWALL, ON, May 9 /CNW/ - On May 7th, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., in partnership with intelligence officers from the Canada Border Services Agency, officers from the Cornwall RCMP Detachment stopped a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe on Highway 401 westbound in South Stormont, Ontario. The RCMP officers seized 1,150 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes which represents 230,000 cigarettes worth $25,300.
The driver, a 45 year old female resident of Seventh Street East in Cornwall, Ontario was arrested and will be charged by the RCMP under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. She was released and will appear at the Cornwall court on June 9th, 2008. The truck, valued at $6,000, was also seized by the RCMP.
One half hour later, RCMP officers stopped a 1993 Chevrolet Blazer on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario. The officers seized 800 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes which represents 160,000 cigarettes worth $17,600. All of the cigarettes seized during the two stops are believed to be manufactured in the United States and smuggled into Canada.
The driver, a 63 year old male resident of Yates Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario, was arrested and will be charged by the RCMP under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. He was released and will appear at the Cornwall court on June 9th, 2008. The truck valued at $5,000, was also seized by the RCMP.
"What is disturbing is that both drivers were traveling with a teenaged passenger" states Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP. "One third of the 105 organized crime groups involved in the illicit tobacco trade are considered violent".
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/09/c7085.html
Feds unveil new campaign to battle tobacco smuggling
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Andrew Mayeda , Canwest News Service
OTTAWA - The Harper government unveiled Wednesday a new enforcement strategy to combat tobacco smuggling, which the RCMP say is being used to fund organized crime.
The new strategy will focus on dismantling manufacturing facilities, disrupting supply lines and seizing contraband tobacco and the related proceeds generated by organized crime. No new funding was announced for the strategy.
"The manufacture and sale of illegal tobacco has evolved considerably, and I might say, dangerously, over the last number of years," Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day told reporters in announcing the strategy. "It used to be individuals here and there, who would manufacture and market this product. That has changed quite a bit. It has now evolved into a high level of organized criminal activity."
Day said the RCMP have identified up to 100 organized-crime groups that are manufacturing and distributing contraband tobacco.
"The proceeds to these organized crime groups go to enforcing and enhancing their own capabilities in terms of . . . illicit drugs, the manufacture and sale of counterfeit sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, the manufacture and sale of illegal firearms, and of course to all of the criminal activity that would be incumbent with this type of growth industry," said Day.
Day acknowledged that much of the contraband tobacco manufactured in Canada has been traced to aboriginal reserves. Any efforts by the RCMP to dismantle manufacturing facilities on reserves could be controversial among aboriginal groups.
But Day emphasized that the new strategy is not targeting specific communities.
Last year, the RCMP seized 618,077 cartons of contraband cigarettes, a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent and the Mounties' largest seizure rate ever.
Meanwhile, RCMP seizures of loose tobacco spiked nearly sevenfold last year to 141,374 bags. Seizures peaked at 309,652 bags in 1996 before falling off to 9,245 bags in 2001. Since then, they have increased every year, except for 2006.
The RCMP has alleged that 90 per cent of the contraband tobacco seized in Canada is manufactured on the U.S. side of the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles Ontario, Quebec and New York State.
RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said in February that a series of large RCMP seizures of smuggled tobacco were just the "tip of the iceberg."
A coalition of anti-tobacco health groups argues that tobacco smuggling is undermining efforts by the health community and the federal government over the last decade to curb smoking.
The Canadian Coalition for Action on Tobacco says the problem is especially bad in Ontario and Quebec. According to the coalition, contraband cigarettes often go for $15 or less per 200 cigarettes, compared with the full legal price of $50 to $70 in Ontario and Quebec.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=ab40f4b2-b3fe-412f-a90c-f2db90d4d16a&k=75606
Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service Stop a Vehicle Which Leads to the Seizure of 200,000 Cigarettes
by the Cornwall RCMP Detachment
AKWEASASNE, ON, May 5 /CNW/ - On April 30th, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a suspicious 2003 Chevrolet Impala northbound on International Road in Akwesasne, Ontario. As the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the vehicle turned into a construction site and the driver got out and fled on foot. The officer, who was unable to locate the driver, observed the vehicle to be carrying many cardboard boxes filled with bags of cigarettes. An officer from the Cornwall RCMP detachment was contacted and attended the scene. The RCMP officer seized 1,000 re-sealable bags of cigarettes that are believed to be manufactured in the United States. This represents 200,000 cigarettes valued at $22,000 that were not properly packaged or stamped and were destined to be sold illegally.
The vehicle, registered to 24 year old female resident of Marlborough Street in Cornwall, Ontario and valued at $8,625, was also seized by the RCMP. The investigation continues.
"The partnership between the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service and the RCMP provides more leverage for our police agencies to ensure that our communities remain safe from criminal activity", stated Sgt. Michael Harvey of the Cornwall RCMP detachment.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/05/c4913.html
Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service Stop a Vehicle which leads to the seizure of 400,000 Cigarettes
Transmitted by CNW Group on : May 6, 2008 15:24
by the Cornwall RCMP Detachment
ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE
CORNWALL, ON, May 6 /CNW/ - On May 2nd, 2008, at 11:34 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a 2000 Dodge Caravan traveling northbound on International Road in Akwesasne, Ontario. The driver acted suspiciously when he observed the police officer. The officer stopped the van on Eleventh Street in Cornwall, Ontario. When the officer spoke to the driver he detected a strong odour of tobacco and observed cardboard boxes of cigarettes stacked to the ceiling covered with a black cotton sheet. Further investigation also revealed that the licence plates on the van were not registered to any vehicle and the vehicle identification number did not match any registered owner.
The RCMP attended the scene and seized 2,000 re-sealable bags of cigarettes that are believed to be manufactured in the United States. This represents 400,000 cigarettes worth $44,000 that were destined to be sold illegally.
The driver, a 33 year old male resident of Island Road in Akwesasne, Ontario, as well as a 20 year old female passenger resident of Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, Ontario were arrested and will be charged by the RCMP for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001. They were both released and will appear at the Cornwall court on July 14th, 2008. The RCMP also seized the van valued at $2,325. The owner of the van has not yet been identified.
The officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service also issued the driver tickets under authority of the Highway Traffic Act for driving a motor vehicle while suspended, using a license plate not authorized for a motor vehicle, failing to disclose particulars of insurance, driving a motor vehicle with no permit and for driving a motor vehicle with no validation on the licence plate.
"Public safety and security is our fundamental priority," states Sgt. Michael Harvey. "We believe in a balanced approach that includes education, awareness and enforcement."
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/06/c5466.html
Law Brian Johnson has pleaded not guilty
BOBBI-JEAN MACKINNON Telegraph-Journal C5
SAINT JOHN - An East Saint John convenience store owner and former Detroit Red Wing is facing federal and provincial charges of having possession of illegal tobacco with an estimated street value of $12,000.
Brian Johnson, 47, of Ellerdale Street, has pleaded not guilty.
Johnson had a five-year professional hockey career, which included a three-game stint with the Red Wings in 1983-84.
His trial has been adjourned until Sept. 8 pending a Charter of Rights application by his lawyer Robert Shalala.
Shalala plans to challenge the validity of search warrants executed last fall at Johnson's store, Brian Johnson Convenience, on Ellerdale Street.
On Oct. 19, police seized 880 cigarettes from the store's back room and 60,000 cigarettes from Johnson's car, which was in the adjacent parking lot.
The Saint John Police Force had obtained a search warrant for Johnson's store, as well as some pawn shops, after Saint John Transit reported more than 1,000 bus passes missing.
While executing the warrant, officers observed cigarettes they believed were illegal and notified the RCMP's customs and excise section, which conducted its own search, the court heard.
Among the items seized was a handwritten note, located beside the cash register. Police believe the note, which listed several tobacco and alcohol items, was a code.
Written beside "big bag of chips," for example, was "loose smokes."
Johnson, a native of Montreal, has been charged with having possession of manufactured tobacco not put in packages and stamped as required by the federal Excise Act, and possession of tobacco not marked in accordance with the regulations of the tobacco New Brunswick Tax Act.
He is also facing charges of having possession of under $5,000 in property obtained by crime in connection with the stolen bus passes. His trial in that case is slated for May 7.
Last week Patrick Andrew Evans, 31, of Anglin Drive was placed on 15 months of house arrest and ordered to pay $1,977 to Saint John Transit for bus passes he stole while working as a cleaner at the facility.
After his house arrest ends he will start two years of probation and begin paying an additional $4,539.
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/273347
Contraband cig bust worth almost $250,000: cops -MB
May 3, 2008
By SUN MEDIA
Authorities seized about 400,000 contraband cigarettes when they stopped a vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Winnipeg on Thursday.
Winnipeg police said the unmarked smokes, sold on the black market, have an estimated street value of $250,000.
It wasn't a random traffic stop. Members of the police organized crime and morals units and investigators with Manitoba Finance intercepted the vehicle, en route to Winnipeg from Ontario, at Deacon's Corner. Inside, police found 50 cases containing 2,500 cartons of illegal smokes.
On the street, individual cigarettes fetch about 50 cents, while a baggie of 200 sells for $10 to $20. A carton of cigarettes retails for about $85.
Two Winnipeg men, aged 26 and 35, were arrested and are facing charges of possessing non-Manitoba marked tobacco under the provincial Tobacco Tax Act.
Police did not identify the men, who were released on a promise to appear in court.
In January, RCMP arrested 12 people who were allegedly part of a distribution ring that sold illegal cigarettes in Manitoba. Police seized 1.5 million cigarettes and more than $50,000 in cash.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2008/05/03/5458531-sun.html
Underground sales rise as plastic bags with illicit tobacco trucked across Canada -MB
Sat Apr 26, 2008
By Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG - The diminutive shopkeeper glances up nervously at a new customer who has just asked to purchase two cigarettes.
She eyes the man up and down for a moment, then reaches into a container, hidden from view underneath her cash register, and pulls out two smokes.
They sell for 50 cents each.
They have no corporate markings on them.
They are, quite clearly, contraband.
The tiny convenience store, set amidst the dive bars and seedy hotels in Winnipeg's tough north end, is just one of thousands of final destinations on Canada's burgeoning underground railroad for illicit tobacco.
An RCMP website says that officers seized 618,077 cartons of cigarettes across the country last year - an all-time record, and five times the amount seized in 2004.
Police say most of the contraband comes through the Akwesasne reserve that straddles the borders between the United States, Ontario and Quebec. It then streams up and down the Trans-Canada Highway in a steady, relentless flow of trucks, vans and cars.
"When I arrived here in 2001, there was just one manufacturer set up on the American portion of the Akwesasne Mohawk territory, and now there are over a dozen of these tobacco factories, and they are run by organized crime groups," said Sgt. Michael Harvey of the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP detachment based in Cornwall, Ont.
Using cheap loose tobacco from states such as North Carolina, the factories manufacture plain, unmarked cigarettes and divide them into plastic bags of 200, police say.
The "baggies," as they are often called in the underground trade, have sold like hotcakes for years in Ontario and Quebec, where the $20 street price is about one-third of the retail price of a carton of legal smokes.
What is now becoming more apparent is just how quickly the underground industry has spread across the country.
Last October, RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador announced their largest seizure of contraband tobacco - 500,000 cigarettes from a home in St. John's.
Earlier this year, Manitoba RCMP seized 1.5 million contraband cigarettes that police allege had been trucked in from Central Canada.
In March, Quebec Provincial Police reported breaking an organized crime ring that allegedly brought contraband tobacco to Nova Scotia from Akwesasne and Kahnawake, south of Montreal.
Smuggling has become so big that RCMP detachments along the Trans-Canada Highway in eastern Ontario pull over transport trucks filled with contraband tobacco on an almost daily basis.
"There were a couple of years ago where a minivan was a typical seizure, but ... we are increasingly seeing larger loads," said Cpl. Nancy Mason with the Kingston RCMP.
"We're as busy as we can handle."
As the cigarettes are transported further afield, the price increases. Baggies sell for about $35 in Manitoba - still a bargain compared with the $86 retail price for a legal carton.
The smokes are sold almost in the open.
"Have I seen them? Absolutely," said a provincial liquor inspector who did not want to be identified.
The inspector, who goes from bar to bar in Winnipeg to enforce compliance with provincial liquor laws, said he has visited a handful of drinking holes where contraband tobacco is sold at the beer vendor, known as the offsale vendor in some other provinces.
"(Customers) just come up and say, 'I'll have a smoke' (and) put their 50 cents on the counter. Done, gone, they walk away."
The Mounties see it, too.
"We're seeing it sold out of the trunks of vehicles. It then makes its way to areas such as community clubs or just about anywhere...beverage rooms, legions, that type of thing," said Staff Sgt. Ron Obodzinski, head of the anti-contraband division with the Manitoba RCMP.
"People will just approach you and say, 'Are you interested in some cheap cigarettes?"'
Contraband smokes aren't the only form of illegal tobacco. There are also smuggled foreign cigarettes on which taxes haven't been paid, as well as cigarettes sold tax-free on reserves that make their way into non-aboriginal hands.
But law enforcement officials say those problems pale in comparison to the cheaply manufactured baggie cigarettes that are now found everywhere.
The tobacco industry says the problem is so widespread, one in five cigarettes sold across the country is illicit. It's become almost acceptable to buy contraband.
"The cost difference, that's the biggest reason for me," said Amanda, an office worker in downtown Winnipeg, who did not want her last name revealed.
Amanda buys a baggie almost once a week through a friend who gets it from another friend.
"Sometimes you have to wait a few days, but it's pretty regular."
Government coffers are feeling the pinch of the underground trade. Police estimate illegal smokes cost Canadians $1.6 billion in lost taxes every year. The Manitoba government expects its tobacco tax revenues to drop $34 million from last year to $170 million.
In the early 1990s, federal and provincial governments cut tobacco taxes to take away profit margins in the contraband trade. But the idea doesn't seem to be on the table now.
"Taxes have been a major factor in reducing consumption of tobacco, especially among young people," said Manitoba Finance Minister Greg Selinger.
"I think there are some enforcement issues that have to be followed up on by both federal and provincial governments."
Following some big busts in the last six months, police are optimistic enforcement will pay off.
"We know who the players are and we certainly are feeding (different) law enforcement agencies to work these joint operations together...so I think it will prove successful," said Harvey.
Cornwall RCMP have been working co-operatively with police and band officials on Akwesasne, he said, but shutting down factories on the American side of the border is a challenge.
The Mounties and the U.S. Coast Guard have sworn in some of each other's officers, allowing them to chase smugglers across the border.
Akwesasne officials did not return repeated phone calls requesting an interview. In previous media interviews, band police chief Lewis Mitchell has said the community should not be blamed.
"We have to remember it's organized crime from Montreal, the big cities, coming into our community and exploiting our borders, exploiting our community," he told the CBC last month.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080426/national/contraband_tobacco
Police seize drugs -NB
Published Tuesday April 22nd, 2008
Appeared on page A5
Codiac RCMP recently seized drugs and contraband tobacco during a residential search.
RCMP officers arrested a 43-year-old Moncton man while executing a search warrant on a Salter Avenue home. Police seized approximately 8,000 contraband cigarettes, marijuana, prescription medication and drug paraphernalia. They also seized a vehicle found at the residence, under the Excise Act.
The man will appear in Moncton provincial court on June 27 to face drug possession charges and charges under the Excise Act and the Tobacco Tax Act of New Brunswick.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/274611
________________________________________Legal cigarettes worse than contraband
Published: Monday, April 21, 2008
Letter
Re: Dangerous Contraband. People who have read this article are likely under the impression that the contraband is worse for your health than regular cigarettes when, in fact, the high-priced cigarettes are far more chemically treated and manipulated than the contraband.
I have smoked for 25 years and I can tell you from experience that the only reason I do not smoke the contraband is because I cannot get the nicotine draw I require to sustain my addiction; a benefit provided by the tobacco companies known as increasing the "elasticity" of cigarettes.
Please read between the lines in this so-called warning by government officials. Tax revenue is down because of these contraband cigarettes and your health is in as much jeopardy smoking either style of cigarette. If the contraband satisfies you, smoke up and enjoy the savings.
Gord Kalkhourst Windsor
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/letters/story.html?id=fb89d72d-45a7-4ad7-9087-0f0081c79d63
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Where there's smoke, there's often illegal cigarettes
Posted By Blizzard, Christina
April 16, 2008
There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in the way the government's Smoke-Free Ontario Act is being implemented.
On one hand, hard-working small business people are being asked to spend big bucks to comply with the new law outlawing so-called "power wall" displays of cigarette advertising.
Yet, the government turns a blind eye to another group that sells illegal cigarettes, reportedly to underage children.
Thornhill Tory Peter Shurman has been hammering away at the government for weeks in question period, asking why convenience store owners, who work long hours, seven days a week, are expected to pay to hide the power walls, while native smoke shacks sell illegal cigarettes - and no one bats an eye.
Not only are they not enforcing the age limit, Shurman said, illegal smokes caused a $600-million drop in tobacco revenues last year.
"On the one hand you have got this act that is meant to protect our kids and on the other hand there is non-enforcement. Kids are smoking because they are not carded at the smoke shacks," he said in a recent interview.
Shurman has a large Korean community in his riding, many involved in convenience store operations. They're hemorrhaging business to illegal smoke shacks and now they're expected to suck up the cost of the power wall barriers, which must be in place by May 31.
PC Leader Bob Runciman was back on the issue in question period. It should be a huge embarrassment to the government that a native smoke shack is operating on government-owned land in Caledonia.
"I know you are aware of an illegal smoke shop in Caledonia, operating on provincial land within metres of an elementary school. We've had reports of children on their bicycles leaving the shop with cartons of cigarettes on their handlebars," Runciman said as part of a question to Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best.
One of the weakest ministers in McGuinty's cabinet, Best sloughed the question off to stalwart Public Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci. Even he had no direct answer.
"This government is committed to ensuring that tobacco cessation takes place in Ontario," he said, pointing to figures showing smoking is decreasing in Ontario. Well, smoking legal cigarettes is certainly down. Who knows how many people are smoking illegal smokes?
It is estimated 37 per cent of all cigarettes in this province are not sold legally. The Ontario Convenience Store Association estimates that will rise to 50 per cent by 2010 if left unaddressed. As well, the OCSA collected cigarette butts outside schools recently and found that 24 per cent of all young people smoking in high schools were puffing illegal smokes.
"A person can now stand out front of a convenience store, be 17 years old and purchase a bag of cigarettes out of the trunk of a car for 10 times less than the average price of cigarettes in Ontario, and no one wants to take that on," Dave Bryans, president of the OCSA told me in a telephone interview Tuesday.
"This is a lawlessness that is growing out of control," he said.
"Why do we spend so much time in the legal market, where we are complying with every law - from age verification to display bans? Why is the same group of people not taking on 37 per cent of the illegal market that is now growing?" he asked.
Best was asked in a media scrum what she was doing to protect young people - especially young aboriginal people - from the harmful effect of cigarette smoke.
"We have programs that are aimed at every single Ontarian to reduce smoking and the young people all over Ontario. If they have access to the computer, they can access our stupid.ca (website), and for those who don't, we have education programs as well," she said. Best said smoking among young people has gone down and 72 per cent of young people between grades 7 and 10 have never smoked.
Yep, but where is smoking most prevalent? On aboriginal reserves. Last year, a study showed 61 per cent of teen girls on reserves smoke, as do 47 per cent of teen boys.
You'd think if the government really wanted to stop people smoking, they'd start in our first nations communities.
And just how effective is a website, when you've got a shack outside the door selling illegal smokes to underage kids with impunity.
Now I know why they call that website "Stupid."
Article ID# 987005
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=987005
________________________________________Dangerous contraband
Published: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star
Illegal smokes can be made of bat dung, rocks, officials warn
Windsor is being flooded with illegal, unregulated and potentially more deadly cigarettes smuggled in from native reserves across Canada and the U.S., according to police.
An estimated 30 per cent of cigarettes now sold in the Windsor area are illegal, said Const. Dave Ferris, an OPP Crime Stoppers co-ordinator.
"It's becoming more and more of a problem in Windsor and Essex County," said Ferris, whose office is at Windsor police headquarters.
"These native reserves, you have cigarettes being made there, and they're only supposed to be sold on the reserve. But people are bringing them down here. Convenience stores are selling them. You have private dealers selling them from their homes and from their place of business. They're dealing all over the place."
Ferris said police started to notice an influx of illegal cigarettes to the area about 18 months ago.
But more recently, he said, their popularity has picked up.
"I think as the cost of normal cigarettes has gone up, that's caused people to start looking at different places to try and save money," said Ferris. "This is one way to do it, I guess."
Earlier this month the RCMP stopped a vehicle on Highway 2 in Tilbury carrying 1,530 unstamped cartons, or 306,000 cigarettes, with a retail value of $122,000. They charged Walid Al-Zaghir, of Windsor, and Samer Zotti from Dearborn, Mich., with possession of unstamped tobacco products.
Late last year, police seized 5,750 cartons of DK brand contraband cigarettes, along with several loose cigarettes in zip-lock bags. The illegal smokes had come from the Brantford area. Officers charged two Windsor residents with possessing, distributing, purchasing and receiving unstamped tobacco products, and conspiracy to possess and distribute unstamped tobacco products.
Ferris said the cigarettes can be hard to resist because they're so cheap. A legal carton of cigarettes costs about $75. You can get the illegal native smokes for $10 or $20 a carton, he said.
A legal pack is $10. An illegal pack runs between $3 and $6.
But there's a trade-off for the cut- rate costs, he said.
"People have to realize that yeah, they're getting a really good deal, but the as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for," said Ferris. "These cigarettes are not regulated. They're not subject to any strict inspections from the government. You never know what's inside these cigarettes."
Local health unit manager Neil MacKenzie said that is a concern. There are two categories of illegal cigarettes the health unit runs into, he said. The first is the contraband, untaxed smokes from native reserves. The second kind is counterfeit products, with material besides tobacco mixed in, that are made overseas in places such as China.
"Those are the ones where I know they've had big issues around quality assurance," said MacKenzie.
"There's a long list of things that have been encountered in counterfeit products that weren't tobacco."
Examples, he said, are rocks and bat dung.
"Sometimes they're made in a cave on the side of a hill," said MacKenzie. "The package labels are photocopied."
MacKenzie said his big concern is these illegal cigarettes are making smoking cheaper.
"When you make cigarettes cheaper, it certainly is contrary to one of the main strategies to limit people from taking up the habit."
It also makes it harder for people to quit, he said.
If you have any information about the sale of illegal cigarettes, call Crime Stoppers at 519-258-TIPS or go to www.catchcrooks.com
twilhelm@thestar.canwest.com or 519-255-5777 ext. 642.
ONLINE
windsorstar.com
How should the government combat contraband smokes?
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=c0605e54-767e-4b30-a574-b78049b23501&k=81202&p=1
________________________________________Seven people arrested as police in Saint John, N.B., seize smokes, booze -NB
April 12/08
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Police say seven people face a variety of charges after a series of raids on west side homes and businesses in Saint John, N.B.
A joint force involving city police, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency moved in on three convenience stores, three homes and a garage on Thursday.
They seized 315,000 cigarettes, 167 large bottles of liquor, a quantity of drugs, cash and two cars.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Mitch MacMillan says activity in contraband smokes and booze is picking up and they are seeing levels higher than in the mid-1990s.
Police say more raids and arrests are anticipated.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g0KNVpQ1Ila1XvCGClHnAC__4uiQ
________________________________________Police stop car filled with contraband cigarettes -ON
April 12/08
A39-year-old Brantford woman faces charges after a car filled with contraband cigarettes was stopped by Northumberland OPP west of Belleville.
Police say that at just before midnight they stopped a rented 2008 Hyundai Sonata travelling at 151 km/h in Cramahe Township.
Police found the back seat of the car had been removed and that area, plus the trunk, was packed full of cigarettes.
A total of 799 cartons, each holding 200 cigarettes, were removed from the car and taken by police, who consulted the RCMP and Revenue Canada during the investigation.
The woman was released from custody but the OPP said she will face numerous charges, including impersonation, racing, driving without a licence and charges under the Excise Act and Tobacco Tax Act.
Article ID# 982840
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=982840
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B.C. man charged in connection with seizure of 300,000 cigarettes fined $48,000
Published: Monday, March 24, 2008
Leader-Post
REGINA -- A 59-year-old British Columbia man charged in connection with the seizure of about 300,000 cigarettes in a traffic stop was fined $48,000 in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Monday.
Lorne Douglas Clarke of Kamloops pleaded guilty to offences under the Excise Act, the Controlled Drug and Substances Act, and the Criminal Code of Canada. The Crown entered a stay of proceedings on charges under the Tobacco Tax Act.
In addition to the fine for the conviction under the Excise Act, Clarke was sentenced to time served awaiting his court appearance, and the forfeiture of the vehicle and other monies that he had on his person.
According to the RCMP, officers with the Moose Jaw traffic services stopped a westbound minivan on the Trans-Canada Highway near Caronport shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Inside the vehicle, officers found 1,500 cartons of cigarettes and a small quantity of drugs.
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=6f33e1a3-101b-478c-9a00-fcf535883cd0&k=62569
Cape Breton men surrender in tobacco smuggling case -NS
Sun. Mar 23 - 7:46 AM
By TERA CAMUS Cape Breton Bureau
SYDNEY — Two wanted Cape Breton men have turned themselves in to police to face charges in connection with a tobacco smuggling ring in Quebec that went up in smoke earlier this week.
Joseph Burton Murphy, 57, of Stirling, Richmond County, formerly of Reserve Mines, turned himself in to Reserve Mines RCMP on Thursday. He is charged with defrauding the federal and Nova Scotia governments of more than $5,000 apiece and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Blair Francis MacKeigan, 43, of Coxheath turned himself in to Quebec provincial police in Montreal late Wednesday afternoon when news surfaced in that province he was also wanted for his part in the ring.
Quebec provincial police allege Mr. MacKeigan has used his company’s 18-wheelers to transport the illegal tobacco from Quebec for sale on Nova Scotia’s black market for the past two years.
Mr. MacKeigan has been charged with defrauding the federal and Nova Scotia governments of more than $5,000 apiece and a single count of conspiracy to commit fraud.
His yellow truck, in which some of the 99 boxes containing thousands of illegal cigarettes were allegedly found by police during four raids in the Sydney area Wednesday morning, has also been confiscated.
The four raids, involving 40 officers, followed an 18-month investigation launched by the Quebec provincial police but also involving Revenue Canada, the RCMP and Montreal police. As raids were going on in Cape Breton, another 16, involving 200 officers, were unfolding on the outskirts of Montreal.
So far, 20 people in two provinces face more than 75 charges related to defrauding banks, three levels of government and private firms known as Touchtunes Digital Jukebox Inc. and Firestone Financial Ltd. Some of the men and women charged also face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, money laundering, forgery, using forged documents, impersonating with intent to commit crime and profiting from proceeds of crime.
Charges related to the illegal tobacco products, processing and distribution have yet to be laid by RCMP. The cigarettes, in boxes that filled a cube-van rented by police, are still being counted.
"We plan on laying charges under the Excise Act, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code," Const. Don Peters of Sydney RCMP said Friday.
Tax violations will involve provincial statutes of Nova Scotia and Quebec as well as federal laws that carrying stiffer financial penalties upon conviction.
Two Cape Breton men were arrested during the Wednesday raids in the Sydney area and flown to Quebec, where they were charged. Winthworth Hardy Sampson, 46, of Sydney Mines and Alexander David Phillips, 56 of Sandfield, near Marion Bridge, face similar fraud and conspiracy charges. Mr. Phillips also faces two charges involving money laundering and profiting from proceeds of crime.
In Quebec, police seized seven vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, including another 18-wheeler, and $20,000 in cash, also believed to be profits of crime. They also confiscated 3,500 bottles of wine, 6,500 bottles of bootlegged spirits and 75 illegal video-gambling machines.
Police allege Gerald and Felicitas O’Reilly, a Montreal couple in their 70s, are at the centre of the organized crime ring. The pair face dozens of fraud-related charges.
Ms. O’Reilly, 71, faces 10 charges, while her 74-year-old husband faces six, including one of creating a criminal organization for profit.
Quebec police began investigating the O’Reillys and their connections to a First Nations reserve in that province almost two years ago.
According to Industry Canada, Mr. O’Reilly founded Alouette Amusement Canada Inc. in 1956. The company is described as a major player in all aspects of the amusement and gaming industry in Canada. The firm distributes jukeboxes, billiard tables and video games around the world.
Earlier this week, Capt. Patrick Belanger of Quebec provincial police told The Canadian Press that authorities believe the O’Reillys supplied a large contraband tobacco market, mainly in Sydney.
He said the illegal tobacco products were provided by four suspects who live on reserves in Akwesasne, near Cornwall, Ont., and Kahnawake, south of Montreal.
The couple are also allegedly involved in pirating music CDs, operating illegal video lottery terminals and using cash machines for money laundering. Police seized three homes owned by the O’Reilly family, including one under construction and valued at $6 million.
Police allege the crime ring created a number of phony businesses to fraudulently obtain government loans. Estimated loss of tax revenue to the Quebec government was pegged at more than $5 million.
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1045094.html
Contraband cigarettes seized by OPP -ON
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Twelve cases of contraband cigarettes were seized from a 2002 Mazda pickup truck stopped while travelling on Hwy. 401 through South Dundas Township about 7:45 p.m. Monday.
Const. Simon Lauzon of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry OPP stopped the suspect vehicle while on patrol and seized the illegal cigarettes.
A male driver and passenger, both 30-year-olds from Ingleside, each face a charge of possession of unmarked cigarettes in contravention of the Tobacco Tax Act.
The suspects are scheduled to appear in Morrisburg court on June 23.
http://www.recorder.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=948568
Seniors fined for selling smuggled cigarettes -SK
March 05, 2008
Betty Ann Adam, The StarPhoenix
Two men received smokes from Ontario, sold them in plastic bags
Two seniors who were receiving and selling contraband cigarettes from Ontario have been fined $3,200 each.
Allan Joseph Mahoney, 68, and Ronald Johnson, 71, each pleaded guilty to charges under the federal Excise Tax Act on Feb. 13 and Jan. 9, respectively.
RCMP executed search warrants at two Saskatoon residences last fall and found plastic bags, each containing 200 loose, unlabelled cigarettes, which had been shipped by courier from an unknown source "out east," said Const. Paul Bissonette of the Border Integrity Unit.
"We don't know where they came from," he said, though police suspect they came from one of the First Nations reserves from which other contraband has originated.
The men were selling the bags of 200 cigarettes for $20 to $25 to their friends and acquaintances, Bissonette said. A carton of 200 cigarettes usually costs $72 to $94 in Saskatoon.
Police believe the men paid $10 or $12 per bag.
Documents found in the searches revealed the pair had been receiving one or two cases per month since January 2007, Bissonette said. Each case contained 50 of the bags.
The cigarettes did not bear the government stamp showing the manufacturer is licenced and pays the required taxes, Bissonette said.
Black market cigarettes are a larger problem in Ontario and Quebec, where some estimates suggest 30 per cent of cigarettes sold are illegal.
Bissonette said these charges are the first in Saskatoon, that he knows of, since the mid-1990s.
Ontario RCMP became aware of the shipments in July, when a courier in Kingston discovered the contraband after a box destined for Saskatoon split open, he said.
"The name and telephone number were on the box as well as the shipper's name and telephone number (but that) may or may not be a fictitious name," he said.
"It's being investigated but there's lots of this going on out there, so they're kind of overloaded. It's big business out there," he said.
badam@sp.canwest.com
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/story.html?id=57d185e2-77c8-40a6-9a73-2711bec47207&k=74045
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Tip leads to major tobacco bust -MB
March 2, 2008
By SUN MEDIA
RCMP seized a significant amount of tobacco after executing a search warrant on Pine Creek First Nation.
"The matter began as a result of a CrimeStoppers tip back in August," said Sgt. Line Karpish, a spokeswoman for Manitoba RCMP.
The warrant under the Tobacco Tax Act was execut ed about 60 km north of Winnip egosis on Friday. More than 680 packages of cigarettes were found in addition to tobacco, cash and related materials.
Two individuals from the reserve, aged 53 and 46, were arrested and released. They will appear in court April 24.
http://www.winnipegsun.ca/News/Manitoba/2008/03/02/4887100-sun.html
Over 900 Cases of Contraband Cigarettes Seized -ONFeb 17, 2008
ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICEKINGSTON, ON, Feb. 17 /CNW/ - The Kingston Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Customs and Excise Section in conjunction with the Cornwall Canada Border Security Agency (CBSA) seized over 900 cases of contraband cigarettes after a brief investigation commencing in the Cornwall area. The cigarettes are valued in excess of $1,000,000.00
With the assistance of the Prescott Ontario Provincial Police, a tractor trailer was stopped while westbound on Highway 401 near the junction of Highway 416. A 47 year old Cornwall resident was arrested and will appear at a later date in Brockville Provincial Court charged under Section 32 (1) of the Excise Act.
The tractor trailer was also seized as a conveyance pursuant to the Excise Act. It is valued at approximately $30,000.
Under the Excise Act, the accused faces a minimum fine of $1,526,250.00. The fines imposed under the Excise Act and the Tobacco Tax Act are a significant deterrent for individuals who are found guilty of unlawfully possessing or selling contraband tobacco. This is the fifth seizure made by the Kingston RCMP Customs and Excise Section this year. Total seizures made by the unit in 2007 are valued in excess of $2,250,000.00.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2008/18/c3341.html
St. Lawrence smuggling biz booming: Cops
Thu, February 7, 2008
By The Canadian Press
Police efforts 'only touched the tip of the iceberg'
The head of the RCMP says police efforts to curb cigarette smuggling across the St. Lawrence River in eastern Ontario are hardly making a dent.
RCMP Commissioner William Elliott told a Commons committee Wednesday that police have “only touched the tip of the iceberg.”
He said boats loaded with illegal tobacco regularly zip across the river from the U.S. side of the Akwesasne reserve near Cornwall.
Over the past year, local Mounties have showed off major seizures of tobacco as evidence of a crackdown on the spread of illegal cigarettes. But Elliott told the committee those announcements represent a very small piece of the illegal operations.
RCMP reports have identified the Akwesasne reserve as the source of more than 90 per cent of untaxed cigarettes widely sold in clear plastic bags.
Because the reserve straddles the Canada-U.S. border, authorities have a difficult time monitoring who and what crosses between the two.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/02/07/4832263.html
Police seize van full of contraband smokes near Oxford -NS
Feb 6, 2008
By The Canadian Press
OXFORD — Police have seized 288,000 illegal cigarettes after the driver of a van fell asleep at the wheel and crashed near Oxford.
A 43-year-old man from North River faces charges under the Excise Act, Revenue Act and Motor Vehicle Act.
Police say he was returning from Quebec with 27 cases of contraband cigarettes when he went off the Trans-Canada Highway into the median early Sunday morning.
The man, whose name has not been released, was later released and will appear in court at a later date.
RCMP say the amount of illegal tobacco they seize across the province is only a small percentage of what comes in.
Late last month 11 people were arrested and 50,000 illegal cigarettes were seized as the result of an investigation in the Amherst area.
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Police seize illegal tobacco in Bridgewater bust -NS
February 5, 2008
CBC News
Police have seized 65,000 illegal cigarettes during a drug raid in Nova Scotia's south shore.
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Illegal cig-ring bust -MB
Tue, January 15, 2008
By CHRIS KITCHING, SUN MEDIA
Ex-Gladstone councillor arrested
RCMP have arrested 12 people, including a former Gladstone town councillor, who were allegedly part of a distribution ring that sold illegal cigarettes in Manitoba.
During a 14-month investigation called Project Deliverance, authorities seized 1.5 million cigarettes and more than $50,000 in cash along with eight vehicles and a horse trailer the suspects used to transport the smokes from Ontario and Quebec, police said.
This is the latest bust in what has become a growing market in Manitoba in recent months.
"The availability of contraband cigarettes is definitely on the rise," said RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Line Karpish.
The arrests and seizures were made over a two-month period. Police found 77 cases of cigarettes at a home in Clandeboye, a small town in Manitoba's Interlake. They also searched a home in Winnipeg.
Karpish said the cigarettes were sold by the case. Each case contained 50 resealable plastic bags. Each bag contained 200 cigarettes.
Bags have been known to retail for $10 apiece.
The cigarettes would have resulted in a loss of $427,500 in tax revenue to the federal and provincial governments, RCMP said.
Karpish would not say where the cigarettes were sold.
Sales of contraband cigarettes have been linked to organized crime groups and drug trafficking in Canada, Karpish said.
In this case, the group was organized but there is no direct link to organized crime, Karpish said.
She was not aware if any of the suspects are members of or affiliated with any gangs.
Karpish said she does not know how long the group had been operating.
The possession and sale of cigarettes that have not been stamped is a federal offence under the Excise Act and the provincial Tobacco Tax Act.
Dawson also is charged with drug-related offences in connection with a small marijuana grow operation that was found during a raid at a Winnipeg home.
McKinley was a councillor in Gladstone, 150 km northwest of Winnipeg, for at least one term. He lost his bid for re-election in October 2002 when he received the fewest votes of all candidates.
If convicted, the suspects can face large fines or jail time.
The RCMP customs and excise section conducted the investigation and had help from RCMP detachments and Manitoba Finance's special investigations unit.
Anyone with information about contraband tobacco is asked to call RCMP at 983-5423 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
12 MANITOBANS CHARGED
RCMP have charged the following people under the Excise Act:
- Paulo Jeorge Cabral, 40, of Winnipeg, Glen (Tim) Cooney, 47, of Clandeboye, Paul Alan Dawson, 36, of Winnipeg, Jose Antonio Figueirido, 57, of Winnipeg, Sylvain Gagnon, 40, of St. Jerome, Que., Shane Jonathan Hebert, 34, of Selkirk, David Errol McKinley, 59, of Gladstone, Vitor Dasilva Mira, 36, of Winnipeg, Jose Joaquin Periera, 49, of Winnipeg , Marco Tavares, 33, of Winnipeg, Gary Wishnowski, 47, of Oakbank, Randy Kenneth Wishnowski, 45, of Clandeboye
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Traffic stops net contraband smokes -ON
Fri, January 11, 2008
By LAURA CZEKAJ, Sun Media
Two traffic stops have netted cops along the seaway thousands of contraband cigarettes and resulted in two arrests.
A 24-year-old Cornwall man has been charged after police found 480,000 contraband cigarettes in the vehicle he was driving.
Akwesasne Mohawk police stopped a Chevrolet Suburban on Seventh St. in Cornwall just after midnight on Wednesday and found the cigarettes.
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP officers were called to the scene and seized 1,750 re-sealable bags of contraband cigarettes, 300 cartons of DK brand cigarettes and 350 cartons of Putter’s Light brand cigarettes that were all manufactured in the U.S. The illegal haul is worth about $52,800, according to police.
Elsewhere, a routine vehicle stop resulted in provincial police seizing about 53 cases of contraband cigarettes. An officer pulled over a vehicle at about 8 p.m. Thursday night on Hwy. 401 in South Glengarry and made the discovery.
A 24-year-old woman from Cornwall is charged with possessing unmarked cigarettes, using a license plate not in accordance to the Highway Traffic Act, failing to surrender permit for motor vehicle and failing to have an insurance card.
The woman will appear in an Alexandria court in April.
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2 days, 2 vans, a lot of illegal tobacco -NS
Last Updated: Thursday, January 10, 2008 | 1:04 PM AT
CBC News
RCMP seize contraband tobacco over two days near Truro
RCMP in Nova Scotia say tobacco smuggling appears to be on the rise in the region.
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Police in N.B. seize $10,000 in cigarettes, arrest P.E.I. man -NB, PEI
Last Updated: Friday, January 4, 2008 | 10:52 AM AT
CBC News
A traffic accident in southern New Brunswick on New Year's Day has led to an RCMP seizure of more than 100,000 contraband cigarettes.
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Raid nets drugs, guns, illegal smokes
Sun. Dec 30 - 5:32 AM
A man and a woman face more than two dozen charges after police seized drugs and tobacco from a home in Queensland on Friday night.
Police using a search warrant seized marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana plants and cash, as well as firearms, ammunition and 14 cases of contraband cigarettes.
The suspects, both 22, are charged with 26 offences under the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Revenue and Excise Act.
Both will remain in police custody until a court appearance Monday.
No names were released.
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Cross-border smugglers arrested in police sting
Published: Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Ottawa Citizen
The RCMP have arrested a dozen people in connection with a cross-border cigarette smuggling and drug trafficking ring based out of the Cornwall area. The 12 suspects face a total of 115 charges. An underground cigarette manufacturing plant was also dismantled. The police investigation lasted more than two years. About 30 officers from the RCMP, the Cornwall Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and area police forces were involved in the investigation, conducted as part of Project Crawler. Arrests were made in Ontario, Quebec, as well as the Akwesasne Territory.
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Smuggling pipeline shut, cops say
Published: Wednesday, December 12
PAUL CHERRY, The Gazette
More than 7,400 kg of tobacco seized. Network said to run from U.S. to Kahnawake
More than 7,400 kilograms of contraband tobacco has been seized in a joint investigation that police say has shut down a vast smuggling pipeline extending from the southern United States to the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve.
Seven people were arrested and another was expected to turn himself in yesterday to investigators with Project Access, a task force that investigates Quebec's underground economy. It includes investigators from the RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec's organized crime division.
The eight people targeted in the operation face charges of conspiracy and violating the federal Excise Act and the provincial Tobacco Tax Act. One of the eight, William John Meloche, 57, of Kahnawake, was charged last month with violating two counts of the Excise Act.
The investigation targeted a group that operated in Pointe Leblanc, west of Valleyfield. Seven vehicles that were used to transport the tobacco to Kahnawake were seized yesterday while police executed search warrants.
Police seized enough tobacco since July to produce more than 7 million cigarettes.
"With its proximity to the United States, the Ontario and Quebec borders and Akwesasne, they took advantage of the geography of the region," said Sgt. Michael Harvey, of the RCMP's detachment for the Central St. Lawrence Valley.
"We took out the whole network. There are not many people who live in the area year-round. They took advantage of that. No one took notice of what they were doing."
The group smuggled tobacco grown by licensed producers in North Carolina and South Carolina into Canada. The tobacco was sold to illegal manufacturers on the U.S. side of the Akwesasne reserve, Harvey said. The tobacco was cut and then smuggled by boat along the St. Lawrence Seaway to small towns in the Montérégie. From there it was delivered to Kahnawake.
"There it would be used to produce illegal cigarettes that would be sold across Canada," Harvey said.
pcherry@thegazette.canwest.com
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$122,000 fine for contraband tobacco
Dec 1, 2007
Kahnawake resident Tatum Ashley Diabo was found guilty of possession of contraband tobacco last Oct. 9 at the Valleyfield courthouse.
Judge Marie-Chantal Doucet sentenced her to fines totalling $122,000.
Diabo had been intercepted by Sureté du Québec officers on Feb. 7, 2006 Police seized from the van she was driving a total of 991 cartons, each containing 200 illegal cigarettes, according to a Revenu Quebec communiqué released on Nov. 23.
The arrest happened following a joint surveillance operation carried out by the SQ and RCMP.
The merchandise, worth about $20,000 on the black market and representing even more in lost taxes, will be destroyed, the SQ said.(Tr: D.R.)
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