Concealed cigarettes smuggled through the Boundary Bay port of entry results in significant sentence
News Release
On June 26, 2017, Ning Zang pleaded guilty in Surrey Provincial Court to one count of smuggling contrary to section 159 of the Customs Act and one count of possession of unstamped tobacco contrary to section 32 of the Excise Act, 2001. Zang was sentenced to a three-month conditional sentence, 50 hours of community service and an $8,484.00 fine.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred in December 2014, when Zang was travelling to Canada through the Boundary Bay port of entry (POE) and was referred for a secondary examination. Border services officers (BSOs) conducted an in-depth inspection of the vehicle and discovered 202 cartons of undeclared cigarettes well concealed throughout.
Prior to Zang’s return to Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in the Pacific Region received information from law enforcement partners that an individual was receiving cartons of cigarettes at a parcel service location in Point Roberts, Washington and suspected he may be smuggling them. The CBSA investigated the matter, identified the suspected smuggler and entered a lookout into the system, resulting in his subsequent interception and charges.
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Quotes
“We are proud of the collaboration between the CBSA, the BC Ministry of Finance and the authorities in the United States which resulted in this enforcement action. Our officers at the port of entry and inland work tirelessly to protect our borders from illegal activity. The sentence today shows that using our borders for illegal activity will not be tolerated.”
- Harald Wuigk, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigations Section, Pacific Region
Quick Facts
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From January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017, BSOs in the Pacific Region seized 771 cartons of cigarettes in 118 seizure actions.
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In 2016, BSOs in the Pacific Region seized 3,445 cartons of cigarettes in 327 seizure actions.
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The largest recent cigarette seizure was 540 cartons seized at the Vancouver Container Examination Facility in 2014.
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Contacts
Media Relations, Pacific Region
Canada Border Services Agency
Telephone: 604-818-9701
Email: PAC_CBSA-Communications@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
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