Close To Two Million Illicit Cigarettes Seized

If you are looking for your carton of illicit excise tax free cigarettes and can’t find them you might have the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol to thank.

That pack of Canadians may have been part of a 1.9 million unstamped cigarette seizure worth approximately $1.1 million on the illicit market seized by observant members of the Highway Patrol.

"Thanks to this observant officer in the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, we were able to prevent organized crime from using Saskatchewan's roadways to profit from illegal activity," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said in a release.

This is just one example of the excellent work the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) and Provincial Protective Services do every day to ensure public safety in our province,” the Minister said in a release.

Examples of untaxed cigarettes seized in an earlier raid - RCMP file photo

The six pallets of installed cigarettes were seized on the evening of August 31, 2023, an officer with the SHP stopped a commercial vehicle on Highway #1 east of Indian Head for an inspection.

During the course of the inspection the officer conducted a search of the trailer, which revealed six pallets of unstamped cigarettes. 

As a result, the driver of the truck was taken into custody by the SHP, and the cigarettes were seized, along with a power unit and a semi-trailer. The Indian Head RCMP have taken carriage of the file in consultation with the SHP and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Finance.

As a result of the investigation, RCMP have charged the driver with several counts under the Criminal Code (Excise Act) and The Tobacco Tax Act.

The stretch of roadway also had the SHP seize close to $1 million in cash found during an inspection of a commercial vehicle’s cab in September 2022 as proceeds from crime. The two incidents are unrelated other than both seizures occurred east of Regina by the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol.