A 53-year-old Ontario man was arrested by Whitbourne RCMP on April 13, 2025, after crashing a transport truck on Route 202 that police later determined contained a trailer full of contraband cigarettes.
Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Whitbourne RCMP received the report that a tractor trailer had departed the roadway and went down over an embankment on Route 202. Police attended the scene and located evidence to support that there was contraband tobacco in the trailer.
The scene was secured overnight and a search warrant, authorized under the Criminal Code, was executed on April 14, 2025. Police accessed the trailer to conduct a search and found that the trailer was full of contraband tobacco. The contraband product was seized and the quantity of the seizure is be processed at this time.
The driver was released from custody and is set to appear in court at a later date to answer to charges under the Excise Act, 2001 and the Revenue and Administration Act.
The investigation is continuing.
RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.