10 million cigarettes confiscated in container
Posted November 30, 2010 6:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Mounties and border agents say they have stopped what they call the largest shipment of counterfeit cigarettes in B.C. history. Seven men, including one from Burnaby, could be charged with smuggling.
Ten million counterfeit cigarettes were found in a container that came in from China in late October. The container’s paperwork indicated it was full of nails, screws and tools.
RCMP Cst. Mike McLaughlin says it’s the largest contraband cigarette bust in BC history, worth almost $5 million.
“We believe that the Asian organized crime group that’s responsible for this shipment is also the same that’s responsible for a counterfeit cigarette shipment earlier this year and for a large precursor chemical bust last year,” he adds.
Police say the cigarettes have almost no quality control and represent a higher-than-normal health risk.
