(Cigarettes image via Shutterstock)
The Manitoba government has seized 71,000 cigarettes and charged two Winnipeg men after making the discovery on December 12.
The Manitoba Finance Taxation Special Investigations Unit and RCMP made the seizure, which would have cost the province $20,945 in tax revenue if the cigarettes had been sold.
The men, aged 26 and 44, face charges under the Manitoba Tobacco Tax Act and The Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act.
If convicted, they face fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment. In addition, they may face a triple tax penalty of $62,835.
