Sask. RCMP seize 7.5 million unstamped cigarettes heading cross-country

(Photo supplied by Saskatchewan RCMP)

The Saskatchewan RCMP says officers seized 7.5 million unstamped cigarettes near Swift Current last month that were heading from Toronto to British Columbia.

According to a news release, RCMP responded to a tractor and trailer unit that had been stopped by Saskatchewan Highway Patrol along Highway 1, about 14 kilometres west of Swift Current on Feb. 18 and found the cigarettes during a search of the vehicle.

Police found approximately 7.5 million unstamped cigarettes and arrested the man who was driving the semi at the scene.

The 24-year-old man, from Delta, B.C., was charged with one count of sell, offer for sale, transport, deliver, distribute, or have in his possession for the purpose of sale a tobacco product, or a raw leaf tobacco that is unstamped, one count of sell, offer for sale of have in his possession a tobacco product unstamped and one count of possess, store, transport or sell tobacco that is not marked in a prescribed manner.

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“Saskatchewan Highway Patrol officers continue to prove their dedication to public safety, and this operation is yet another example of their ongoing efforts to prevent illicit substances from reaching our communities,” Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Tim McLeod said in the release.

RCMP said the 24-year-old man will make his first court appearance on April 2 in Swift Current.