A Commercial Vehicle Inspection leads to the Seizure of Contraband Cigarettes

    CORNWALL, ON, Dec. 19 /CNW/ - A 51 year old male driver from Ohsweken,
Ontario faces a charge under the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco
product not properly stamped. This charge is a result of a traffic stop by the
Ontario Provincial Police on Highway 401 westbound near Cornwall, Ontario.
    On December 18th, 2008, officers from the OPP stopped a 2007 Chevrolet
cube truck on highway 401 that was travelling westbound near Cornwall, Ontario
for a commercial vehicle inspection. During the inspection the officers
observed cardboard boxes of contraband cigarettes. The Cornwall RCMP
Detachment was contacted to assist.
    The RCMP officers attended the scene, arrested the driver of the truck
and seized 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
investigation revealed that the truck was rented from a rental agency in
Brantford, Ontario.
    The RCMP officers also seized 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 believed to have been
produced in the United States as well as a small amount of a substance
believed to be marihuana and hashish. The driver was later released to appear
at the Cornwall court on January 29th, 2009.
    "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".

For further information: Sgt. Michael Harvey, RCMP Cornwall Detachment,
[phone]