Highway Patrol Seizes Large Load Of Unstamped Cigarettes

The RCMP has announced another victory in the war against untaxed cigarettes.

On July 17, 2024, a Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) weigh station officer conducted an inspection of a semi and trailer on Highway #1 near Swift Current.

During that inspection the officer was able to determine the bill of lading to be false and inspected the cargo.

Upon inspection the Highway Patrol Officer found 30 pallets or 8.75 million unstamped illicit cigarettes in the trailer.

This is the largest seizure of untaxed illicit smokes for the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol.

Thirty pallets or 8.75 million of untaxed cigarettes stopped on the Trans Canada Highway near Swift Current - photo courtesy Saskatchewan RCMP

The cigarettes were enroute from Ontario to British Columbia.

The RCMP was contacted and charges were laid against the driver.

As a result of continued investigation, 25-year-old Vishavpreet Singh from Calgary is charged with:

- one count, sell, offer for sale, transport, deliver, distribute, or have in his possession for the purpose of sale a tobacco product, or a raw leaf tobacco that is unstamped, Section 121.1(1), Criminal Code;

- one count, sell, offer for sale of have in his possession a tobacco product unstamped, Section 32(1) Excise Act; and

- one count, possess, store, transport or sell tobacco that is not marked in a prescribed manner, Section 11(8), Saskatchewan Tobacco Tax Act.

He is scheduled to appear in Swift Current Provincial Court on August 14, 2024.

Illicit untaxed cigarettes are a growing problem in Western Canada as the untaxed cigarettes are ending up on the streets including Moose Jaw.

The unstamped smokes are highly popular with many local Moose Jaw smokers due to their much lower cost.

There are no known health differences between the stamped (taxed) and unstamped (not taxed) cigarettes with the main difference federal and provincial taxes are not collected for the product.