(Cigarettes image via Shutterstock)
Three people from Winnipeg have been charged after 2,050,300 contraband cigarettes were seized from retail locations in the city.
Police and Manitoba Finance’s Taxation Special Investigations Unit completed their investigation on the evening of February 13.
The cigarettes weren’t marked for sale in Manitoba, which the province stood to lose $615,090 in tax revenue. The seizure is the largest in the history of the SIU.
Investigators also seized $93,230 in cash for two vehicles.
Two men and one woman face numerous charges related to the seizure. Two of the accused have prior convictions, meaning they face more strict penalties, such as the possibility of being fined between $10,000 to $50,000, spending up to one year in prison, driver license suspensions and a potential quadruple tax penalty of $2,460,360.
