On Sunday, a 36-year-old male driver, from Calgary, was arrested and taken into custody following a traffic stop by officers with the Manitoba RCMP Roving Traffic unit that uncovered 350 cases of illegal tobacco, containing 3,500,000 cigarettes. Police say the vehicle was traveling westbound on Highway 1, approximately two kilometres east of Brandon at the time.
“We believe that this is one of the largest seizures of illegal tobacco from a traffic stop in Canada,” said Staff Sergeant Kyle McFadyen of the Manitoba RCMP’s Traffic Services. “It really speaks to the importance of the Manitoba RCMP’s Roving Traffic Unit. This unit is comprised of officers with specialized training who work to identify potential criminals travelling on our roadways. The officers do this work as they conduct Highway Traffic Act enforcement” from today’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Manitoba’s Facebook statement.
If convicted, the driver could face a mandatory triple tax penalty of over $3,000,000.00 under the Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act. According to police, the investigation continues.
