Forty-Six People Arrested for Possession of Contraband Tobacco during High Intensity Enforcement Project

    CORNWALL, ON, Nov. 26 /CNW/ - Between November 13th, 2008, and November
24th, 2008, the Cornwall RCMP Detachment coordinated a High Intensity
Enforcement Project in the Cornwall area to disrupt the contraband tobacco
supply chain. Resources were temporarily deployed from RCMP Detachments
located in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario to support this operation.
Officers from the Canada Border Services Agency, Combined Forces Special
Enforcement Unit, Integrated Criminal Intelligence Section, Cornwall Community
Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Ontario Provincial Police Organized
Crime Enforcement Team (POCET), Quebec Provincial Police and the Ontario
Ministry of Revenue Special Investigations Branch also participated in this
operation.
    Individuals and vehicles involved in contraband tobacco smuggling
departing the Cornwall area towards Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa were
identified and intercepted. This joint operation focused on targeting
individuals who belong to various organized crime groups which facilitate the
distribution of the contraband tobacco throughout Canada. The result of this
operation permitted the partner law enforcement agencies to intercept
forty-eight different vehicles in the following regions:24 vehicles in Cornwall, Ontario
    14 vehicles in South Glengarry, Ontario
    7 vehicles in South Stormont, Ontario
    1 vehicle in Ottawa, Ontario
    1 vehicle in the St-Justin-de-Neptune, Quebec
    1 vehicle in Riviere-Beaudette, QuebecThese interceptions permitted the arrest of forty-six individuals (19
from Cornwall, Ontario, 4 from Akwesasne, Ontario, 3 from Ottawa, Ontario, 1
from Martintown, Ontario, 1 from Frankford, Ontario, 1 from Oshawa, Ontario, 1
from Ohsweken, Ontario, 1 from St. Andrews, Ontario, 5 from Kahnawake, Quebec,
1 from Maniwaki, Quebec, 1 from Kanasatake, Quebec, 2 from Akwesasne, New
York, 5 from Hogansburg, New York, 1 from Rooseveltown, New York) who will be
charged for the possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according
to the Excise Act 2001 as well as being charged under authority of the
Provincial Tobacco Tax Act.Items Seized

    -   43 vehicles
    -   48,570 assorted resealable bags and cartons each containing 200
        cigarettes seized which represents 9,714,000 cigarettes
    -   2,332.3 kilograms of fine cut tobacco
    -   50 cartons of Peach Flavour light cigars"The Cornwall Detachment follows the principals of intelligence led
policing to attack the National Priorities of Organized Crime and Terrorism,
and to enhance Border Integrity and security along the shared border. We also
focus our targeting based on criminal threat assessments conducted on
forty-two criminal organizations which are believed to be operating within the
Cornwall Detachment area" said Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP. "These
interceptions allows us to gather valuable criminal intelligence to further
our investigations".
    A similar High Intensity Enforcement Project was executed in February
2008 during a three week period where Customs and Excise members from the
RCMP's Northwest region attended Cornwall with the objective of learning,
understanding and executing enforcement strategies on the contraband
phenomenon. The February project was a success where over 9.5 million
cigarettes and 800 kilograms of fine cut tobacco was seized.

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