A 27-year-old Ontario man has been fined more than $165-thousand dollars in connection with a seizure of illegal tobacco last fall.
On November 3, 2017, around 10 a.m., members of the New Brunswick RCMP Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit stopped a vehicle during a checkstop on Route 2 in Saint-Jacques, N.B. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of more than 113-thousand illegal cigarettes. Two men were arrested at the scene and released on recognizances.
On February 27, 2018, 27-year-old Aniss Samer of Kitchener, Ontario appeared in Edmundston Provincial Court and plead guilty to two charges under the Tobacco Act and one charge under the Excise Act. He was fined $169,756.80. Charges against a 45-year-old man, also of Kitchener, Ontario, were dropped.
Anyone with information regarding the sale, purchase or transportation of illegal tobacco is asked to contact your local police. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.