A man caught trying to cross the Canadian border at the Thousand Islands crossing with several thousand kilograms of undeclared cheese was fined tens of thousands of dollars.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, last year on Jan. 10, 2018, 50-year-old Haissam Azaar entered Canada from the United States, driving a truck carrying eight skids of undeclared cheese, totalling approximately 3,990 kilograms of cheese.
Azaar was arrested and charged with smuggling that same day.
On May 9, he pleaded guilty to smuggling in a Brockville court and is now facing a $30,000 fine for his offence.
He has five years to pay his fine, with a minimum payment of $1,000 each year.