Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service Vehicle Stop Leads to the Seizure of 760,000 Contraband Cigarettes by the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment

News Release

Cornwall, Ontario - On January 20th, 2008, at 7:04 p.m., an officer from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service observed a 1998 Ford van followed by a 2007 Ford pick-up truck travelling Northbound on Recreation Road in Akwesasne, Ontario. The officer observed the van turn northbound on International Road and accelerate towards the toll booth. As the officer went to follow the van, the pick-up truck got in front of the officer to slow him down. The pick-up truck continued to slow down the officer throughout the whole pursuit. Once the van turned onto Eleventh Street West in Cornwall, Ontario the officer tried to pass the truck but was blocked from doing so. The van then pulled in front of an apartment complex and the driver fled on foot. The officer was able to secure the abandoned van which was loaded with cardboard boxes of unstamped cigarettes. RCMP officers from the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment- Cornwall Office were contacted and attended the scene. The RCMP officers seized 3,800 re-sealable bags of cigarettes that were manufactured in the United States. The tobacco was not properly packaged or stamped and is valued at $83,600.

The driver of the van was not located and the investigation continues. The licence plates used on the van were registered to a different vehicle. The van that was seized by the RCMP and valued at $5,500 is registered to a 29 year old male resident of Akwesasne, Ontario.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service has noticed an increase in hazardous driving by drivers transporting and assisting those who transport tobacco products on the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. Their priority is to keep the roadways safe for the community members to travel safely.
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Sgt. Michael Harvey
Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment
613-937-2831

Chief of Police Lewis Mitchell
Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service
613-575-2340

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2016-12-15

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Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service Vehicle Stop Leads to the Seizure of 760,000 Contraband Cigarettes by the Central St. Lawrence Valley RCMP Detachment

News Release

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