Cops seize 7.5M unstamped cigarettes in traffic stop near Swift Current

RCMP and Saskatchewan Highway Patrol officers seized roughly 7.5 million cigarettes during a traffic stop on Highway 1 last month.

According to the RCMP, the highway patrol stopped a tractor and trailer unit on Highway 1, just west of Swift Current, on February 18, and the Mounties were also called to the scene.

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“The adult male driver was travelling from Toronto to British Columbia,” the RCMP explained in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“As a result of investigation, officers searched the semi and trailer, locating and seizing approximately 7.5 million unstamped cigarettes.”

The driver, a 24-year-old man from British Columbia, was arrested at the scene. He’s now facing three charges related to the unstamped smokes, and is expected to appear in a Swift Current courtroom early in April.

“Our officers – while working in conjunction with our partnering agency – prevented over 7,000,000 cigarettes from entering the illegal market,” superintendent Murray Chamberlin of the Saskatchewan RCMP said in a statement.

“This is yet another example of the dedicated work of our officers and our province, who work together to keep Saskatchewan communities safe.”

“This type of criminal activity can have widespread repercussions on our communities by creating opportunities for further trafficking crime and negatively affecting our economy and small businesses,” added Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s minister of corrections, policing and public safety.

“We applaud the work being done by our policing agencies for the benefit of our province.”