27 tonnes of illegal cigarettes seized in B.C. by RCMP

The RCMP says a record-setting recovery of contraband tobacco has been seized in B.C. over the last year.

Mounties say 27 tonnes of illegal cigarettes were recovered during two “federal policing enforcement actions” in Maple Ridge and Mission.

In a news conference Friday, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth explained 45 pallets of illicit tobacco, with a retail value of around $12 million, were seized on Feb. 28, just weeks after 35 pallets were seized by the province’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.

“Gun- and gang-related violence impacts all of us and it is a serious, evasive threat to public safety in our province. Gangs and organized crime are fueling the toxic drug crisis which is killing thousands in B.C. every year,” Farnworth said.

Mounties say the search warrants also recovered 70 pounds of silver and $100,000 in cash.

“The enforcement actions conducted by the RCMP federal policing programs over the last year have collectively resulted in the seizure of approximately 27 tonnes of contraband cigarettes, with an estimated retail value of over $24 million,” Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said Friday.

“The illicit tobacco trade poses a serious domestic and international threat, as it funds the growth and expansion of transnational organized crime, in addition to undermining public health objectives,” he added.

Two people have been arrested in relation to the latest illegal tobacco recovery, Teboul explained.

“These investigations are ongoing. While the suspects involved may face criminal charges, they may also be subjected to regulatory actions, civil forfeiture proceedings, and other legal remedies,” he said.