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The RCMP in B.C. has seized 27 tonnes of illicit cigarettes seized throughout an investigation into two organized crime teams.
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Calling it a blow to the operations of transnational organized crime teams in B.C., the RCMP’s federal policing unit introduced the seizure of 27 tonnes of contraband cigarettes price about $24 million as a part of two main investigations.
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul instructed a Surrey information convention Friday that about half the cigarettes have been seized final month when 4 search warrants have been executed in Mission and Maple Ridge.
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“Federal policing investigators have dismantled a prison operation and seized an estimated 67,500 cartons of cigarettes with a retail worth of over $12 million,” Teboul mentioned of the Feb. 28 seizures.
“In a separate investigation as a part of the RCMP contraband tobacco enforcement technique, federal policing investigators additionally carried out a sequence of different enforcement actions during the last yr, which resulted within the seizure of a further 66,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes, with an estimated retail worth of $11.9 million.”
He mentioned the 2 investigations have resulted in “bringing these prison operations to a halt.”
“These interdictions have additionally served as a serious blow to quite a few organized crime teams, as they’re the primary orchestrators and beneficiaries of contraband tobacco gross sales,” Teboul mentioned.
However regardless of the arrests of 12 folks in reference to the 2 investigations, nobody has but been charged in both case, RCMP Cpl. Arash Seyed confirmed.
“We’re searching for prices and, you realize, it may be fairly a prolonged course of,” he mentioned.
Nor have been the prison organizations allegedly behind the distribution of the contraband cigarettes recognized by police, although Seyed confirmed they have been produced in jap Canada and shipped west for home distribution in Alberta and B.C.
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Additionally seized Feb. 28 was 70 kilos of silver — some bars that includes the face of former U.S. president Donald Trump — and $100,000 in money.
A few of the money, silver and several other stacks of cigarettes with names like Rolled Gold, Playfare’s, Low cost and Canadian Premium Particular have been on show at RCMP headquarters. The cigarettes had the compulsory authorities warning on the packages, identical to authorized tobacco merchandise.
Seyed mentioned the newer investigation started final fall and led to the invention of a number of places believed to be storage and distribution services for trafficking the tobacco. The sooner probe began in fall 2021 in Nanaimo and expanded to Vancouver, Langley, Abbotsford, Cobble Hill and Edmonton.
Seyed mentioned that one of many organized crime teams focused “was additionally suspected of being linked to cross border cocaine smuggling and cash laundering actions, which had been the topic of the joint investigation by the FBI and the RCMP federal investigators within the yr 2020.”
B.C. Solicitor Basic Mike Farnworth attended the information convention and praised the efforts of Mounties who additionally labored with B.C. Finance Ministry investigators.
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“Prison organizations who’re concerned within the distribution of unlawful tobacco are sometimes the identical organizations concerned within the manufacturing and trafficking of lethal illicit medication. This fuels the toxic-drug disaster killing hundreds of British Columbians yearly,” Farnworth mentioned. “These criminals revenue off the distress of others and harm households and communities.”
He additionally mentioned small comfort shops depend on authorized tobacco gross sales and are disproportionately impacted by the black market.
“So taking this off the streets additionally helps these small companies which can be working onerous to offer for his or her households,” Farnworth mentioned.
kbolan@postmedia.com
x.com/kbolan
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