RICHER, Man. – A Thunder Bay man has been arrested by RCMP in Manitoba after a traffic stop led to the discovery of nearly half a million illegal cigarettes.
Police say following pair of investigations into the sale of illegal cigarettes, with the co-operation of the Manitoba Finance Taxation Investigations Unit, they pulled over a westbound vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway on Oct. 2, three kilometers east of Richer, Man.
The search uncovered 488,800 illegal cigarettes and 149 1.75-litre bottles of non-duty paid alcohol.
Jason Michael Rondeau, 37, faces charges under the Criminal Code of Canada for trafficking contraband tobacco and alcohol, as well as charges under the Excise Act, the Manitoba Tobacco Tax Act and the Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act.
On Oct. 27 Manitoba Finance investigators seized another 687,800 cigarettes and $300,000 in cash from a back lane in Winnipeg, arresting three males allegedly caught transferring the cigarettes from a local business into a vehicle.
The province says it stood to lose $347,097 had the cigarettes been sold.
If convicted, the suspects could face fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and up to six months behind bars.
Rondeau, if convicted, would also face a triple tax penalty of $432,588.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
