Officials seize 850K illegal smokes
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Nearly a million illegal cigarettes were seized in two busts this month.
On Nov. 25, Manitoba Finance investigators stopped a Ford F350 cargo van near West Hawk Lake east of Winnipeg. Eighty-five cases of assorted contraband cigarettes, including 2,000 cartons and 2,250 "baggies" (equivalent to a carton), were found in the vehicle for a total of 850,000 cigarettes.
A man is facing tax-related charges; if convicted, he faces mandatory tax penalties of $752,250, fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to six months in jail.
On Nov. 16, officials busted an apartment in south St. Vital, set up like a storefront complete with counter. They seized 81 baggies, 83 cartons of assorted brands and 62 individual packages totalling 32,800 cigarettes.
A man is facing tax-related charges, and faces fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to six months in jail, and a mandatory tax penalty of $29,028, if convicted, for his alleged involvement.
