Significant Contraband Tobacco Seizure: CRTF

(2016-06-15) Cornwall, Ontario – During the early morning hours of June 2nd, 2016, members of the Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF), working in partnership with members from Valleyfield RCMP and Sûreté du Quebec, observed two boats traveling east on the St. Lawrence River at a high rate of speed. Both vessels were occupied with an unknown number of occupants. The boats landed ashore in the Rivière-Beaudette, Quebec area.

As officers converged to the shoreline area to investigate this illicit activity, they observed that the contraband which had been strewn on shore and the vessels, with their occupants, had already departed.

During this investigation, 126 bags of contraband fine cut tobacco weighing a total of 1,948 kilograms were seized. This investigation is still ongoing.

If you have any information regarding this crime or any other criminal activity in your area, please contact your local police service or reach out to an investigator with the CRTF at 1-613-937-2800 or 1-800-387-0020.

The CRTF is a joint forces partnership that includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, and the Ontario Ministry of Finance. CRTF would like to extend our thanks for the ongoing assistance and cooperation provided by the ''Initiative intégrée de lutte à la contrebande '' including RCMP Valleyfield and Sûreté du Québec members and "C" Division's RCMP Police Dog Service.