CORNWALL, Ont. – Officials say they’ve broken up an alleged smuggling operation that was moving tobacco along the frozen shore of the St. Lawrence River on snowmobiles.
The Cornwall Regional Task Force says officers spotted five snowmobiles pulling snow tub sleds on March 2 and watched as the contents of the sleds were loaded into a cube van near Fraser Point, Que.
Task force officers intercepted the snowmobile riders, while Quebec Provincial Police stopped the van and seized 2,678 kilograms of fine cut tobacco.
A 23-year-old man from Valleyfield, Que., and a 32-year-old man from Les Coteaux, Que., were arrested and facing charges under the Excise Act.
They’re also facing charges under the provincial Tobacco Tax Act in Quebec for being in possession of unmarked cigarettes.
The Cornwall Regional Task Force is a joint forces partnership that includes the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency, and the Ontario Ministry of Finance.