Cigarette ring nets cops huge haul (Freep Poll)

ottawa sun.com ^ | April 28, 2006 | JON WILLING

[SheLion]

435 cases of smokes, more than $1.3 million in cash, property seized in raids.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property, cash and contraband cigarettes have been seized as a result of raids this week across Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario.

At a press conference at the Quebec provincial police Gatineau detachment, investigators today provided more detail about Project Bleutte, which was first announced Thursday after raids were conducted throughout the region.

Police said today the raids netted 435 cases of contraband cigarettes and they seized: 37 vehicles allegedly used for smuggling and distribution of the smokes, $600,000 in real estate, about $700,000 in cash and nine firearms.

More than 200 cops with six forces in Quebec and Ontario were involved in the busts, one year after police first received a tip about the scheme. Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Melanie Larouche said 25 suspects have been arrested so far.

Quebec provincial police opened a probe when investigators with the MRC des Collines force asked for assistance looking into a tip. Investigators discovered that cigarettes were being transported from Akwesasne and distributed in Ontario and the Outaouais. The ring is alleged to have brought U.S. cigarettes into Canada through the Cornwall Islands and Akwesasne.

The probe hit its climax yesterday morning when Quebec provincial police were joined in raids by 250 officers with the Gatineau, MRC des Collines, Montreal, Ottawa, OPP and RCMP forces.

The first residences were targeted around 5 a.m. and police continued to work throughout the day.

Forty-five residences in total, including about 10 in the Ottawa area, were part of the investigation.

In addition to a few hundred cases of cigarettes, police have seized about 60 cars and recreational vehicles. Early estimates of the seized property totalled over $1 million.

GATINEAU TARGETED

The Ontario searches focused on residences in Ottawa, Embrun, Vars, Limoges and Hawkesbury, while investigations on the Quebec side targeted Gatineau, Thurso, Lavaltrie, Cantley, Ripon, Buckingham, Masson-Angers, Grenville, Chelsea and Repentigny.

Quebec provincial police and the RCMP have been busy clamping down on contraband cigarettes this year.

Last February, provincial police nabbed 12 Pontiac residents related to possessing and distributing the illegal smokes. RCMP officers in the Cornwall area have also caught people with contraband tobacco from Akwesasne. The last week of February brought a series of seizures around Cornwall, with RCMP officers seizing thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes.

[napscoordinator]

I said yes and don't even smoke. I think that they should be able to sell them if they want.

[fanfan]

I don't know for sure, but I think they just assume it's Akwesasne for the local Ottawa audience.


BTW, I've tried those cigarettes.
I have a friend who buys them.
There not bad, and at $20.00/carton, a pretty good deal.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Am I right in saying that there is a lot of duty cigarettes in Canada?

Here in Ireland I think the price of a pack of cigarettes is about 80% tax.

One of the many ways that Sinn Fein/IRA fund their politico-criminal conspiracy against Irish democracy is through contraband cigarettes - if my government wanted to pull the rug under IRA's empire, they should cut the tax to normal VAT like most other products (they should also do the same with alcohol and fuel - Sinn Fein/IRA smuggle those things, too).

Are governments everywhere willfully unaware of the fact that high taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and oil a waste of resources?

[fanfan]

I looked it up the other day, and if I remember right, it was around 83%.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

You see - it's for our own good!!

[fanfan]

Puff!

[starzed_]

First Nation tobacco is legal, as well as any other tobacco. What is illegal is the fact that the white people are not paying the federal, or provincial taxes on the tobacco that comes from the reserve. (a carton goes for $73 normally, not the bargain of $18)
To complicate the issue the Akwesansne (Mohawks ) have 7 districts and 12 different tribes (2 provinces and New York state) in their whole territory. http://www.akwesasne.ca/AkwesasneMap.pdf They have many legal tobacco manufacturing licenses (cause in Canada tobacco is a controlled substance, like alcohol).
To add to this there's many different Mohawk tribes that signed treaties in the late 1800's; this allowed the fighting to stop and the ability for assurance of the Mohawk culture, and lifestyle to continue.
If you really want to know the Mohawk (and other tribes, I'm sure) views. The CBC did a interview with one of the people (Shawn Brant) who are trying to bring the nation to a proud and prosperous community, after hundreds of years with no viable reserve economy. http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/brant.html Many reserves have the people living below the poverty line, and no jobs or support. The first nation in Canada have won a human rights tribunal on the way they have been treated by the government.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

*Irish_Thatcherite smoking a cigar*

[fanfan]

Puff away, FRiend!

[Irish_Thatcherite]

*ahhhhh lovely*

[starzed_]

BTW I am not saying that the first nations are the ones, who are doing this. It could be anyone, and the extremist anti tobacco groups have a convenient place to put the blame. This due to the first nation ability to produce tobacco.

[fanfan]

$73.00 per carton?

Where are you buying your smokes?

[starzed_]

Sorry I was using the Ottawa Sun's related article for the Carton price, I hate math. Haven't bought a carton years (went away once for 7 days so I bought a carton) Just in case I got stuck there for a while, or smoked more. A pack lasts me normally 4 days. Low price tempts smokers

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the insights!

[fanfan]

It's around $56/carton in Ontario.

:-)

[The Foolkiller]

Done. 67% now for buying smuggled smokes. 8^D

[starzed_]

that's 7 bucks a pack. I can't smoke anything but 100's or I would smoke a pack a day! So I have to buy the premiums ( du Maurier light's 100's). They cost 8.20 a pack here, cheapest place in town.

Got a question, now do you still think that only 23% of Ontarians are smoking? If the one first nations can be making 8-10 million monthly? No wonder the extremists can claim victory on the reductions due to smoking bans. The tax money only adds up to the amount of people smoking if you don't include those millions from reserves. and the gov't claiming only 1.8 million adult smokers in Ontario! lol ;-)

[fanfan]

Got a question, now do you still think that only 23% of Ontarians are smoking?

No way.

More like 23% of us are stupid enough to pay extortion to the gov.

BTW, let me or GMMAC know if you ever want to be added to the Canada ping list.

[SheLion]

Done. 67% now for buying smuggled smokes. 8^D

Thank you!!!