Manitoba and Ontario authorities worked together to stop the smuggling of illegal cigarettes.
Manitoba Finance’s Taxation Special Investigations Unit, along with the Ontario Provincial Police, have completed a joint investigation of a Winnipeg man believed to be involved in smuggling illegal cigarettes.
Authorities say they arrested 44-year-old Daniel Deschamps on Nov. 29, east of Thunder Bay for possession of illegal tobacco that he had allegedly purchased recently in Quebec.
Police say he was smuggling over 2.5 million cigarettes into Manitoba to resell them.
Deschamps was released by the OPP, facing charges, and returned to Winnipeg where he was supposed to quarantine due to travelling to Quebec.
The Manitoba SIU continued the investigation and on Dec. 2, they spotted him leaving his house and going to various locations in Winnipeg.
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Police say he was arrested in possession of 220,000 illegal cigarettes and after search warrants were executed at two locations in Winnipeg, a further 650,000 illegal cigarettes were seized.
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These contraband cigarettes were in addition to the 2.5 million seized in Ontario.
Authorities say the province stood to lose $261,000 in tax revenue if these cigarettes had been sold.
If convicted, Deschamps faces fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment. In addition, he faces a triple tax penalty of $783,000 and forfeiture of his motor vehicle.
He also faces charges for failing to isolate under Manitoba COVID-19 restrictions.
The province urges anyone who has information on contraband tobacco to contact their local police department, call the SIU at 204-945-1137, email smuggling_manitoba@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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