NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Tens of thousands of contraband cigarettes were found this week after police searched a van in Abercrombie, N.S.
Police found 80,000 cigarettes after stopping the van on Oct. 29 and executing a search warrant.
The contraband tobacco was in 400 packages, with each one holding 200 cigarettes.
“This is one of the most significant seizures in the Pictou County area,” said Const. Ken MacDonald of the New Glasgow police force. He said the street value of the cigarettes was around $14,000.
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Police are still investigating to see where the cigarettes originated and where they were going.
Officers say most people only see illegal tobacco as a cheaper way to buy their cigarettes, but don’t necessarily see the bigger picture.
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“With this type of activity it’s organized crime,” said RCMP Cpl Andrew Joyce. “So people people participating in buying cigarettes of this nature are in fact supporting organized crime.”
Police say with contraband tobacco, there is no way of knowing what material is included inside the cigarettes.
The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco says illegal cigarettes are becoming more prominent in Nova Scotia and want both the provincial and federal government to take more action on the issue.
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