Sask. highway patrol seizes 6.6M unstamped cigarettes, duo from Ontario charged
The Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) and RCMP recently seized 6.6 million unstamped cigarettes from a commercial vehicle on Highway 1, east of Indian Head.
The seizure, worth an estimated $3.3 million on the illicit market, took place on March 1.
A highway patrol officer stopped the vehicle and conducted a roadside check where they found 22 pallets of unstamped cigarettes, according to a news release from the provincial government.
The driver and passenger —both from Ontario—were taken into custody and the cigarettes and semi-trailer were seized, the province said.
The driver has been charged with several counts under the criminal code and the Tobacco Tax Act. He was released and is scheduled to appear in court in June.
The passenger was remanded to appear at Regina Provincial Court. He was also found to have breached a conditional sentence order related to a customs related offence with the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).
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