(Cigarettes image via Shutterstock)
More than 500,000 contraband cigarettes have been seized from several Winnipeg retailers.
Manitoba Finance says the significant seizures relate to three Winnipeg residents who are the owners of five convenience stores.
Two of the accused have previous convictions for similar offences, while the third currently has charges before the court.
The province says the seizure represents more than $162,977 in potential lost revenue to the Manitoba government.
The retail locations charged include:
- Bannerman Grocery, 414 Bannerman Ave.
- Mom & Dad’s Grocery, 352 Mountain Ave.
- A.J. Grocery, 532 Redwood Ave.
- Avenue Meats, 595 Selkirk Ave.
- Royal Supermarket, 689 Wellington Ave.
The charges come at the end of Project Diesel, a lengthy investigation into multiple Winnipeg retail locations suspected of possessing and selling illegal cigarettes to adult and youth customers.
