Seven arrests have been made after nearly 480,000 illegal cigarettes were seized in New Brunswick and Quebec.
The New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety announced the seizures and arrests in a news release on Wednesday.
Officials seized more than 409,000 contraband cigarettes and illegal cannabis in the Campbellton, N.B., area between July 28 and 31.
The Sûreté du Québec also seized more than 70,000 contraband cigarettes outside of the Listuguj area, across the border from Campbellton.
Seven men were arrested in New Brunswick in connection with the investigation, including:
- a 49-year-old man from Dieppe;
- a 53-year-old man from Amherst, N.S.;
- a 53-year-old man from Grand Prairie, Alta.;
- a 55-year-old man from Halifax, N.S.;
- a 59-year-old man from Trenton, N.S.;
- a 65-year-old man from Notre-Dame de Lourdes; and
- a 70-year-old man from Cap-Pelé, N.B.
All seven men are expected to appear in court at a later date.
“The illegal tobacco seized in New Brunswick has a provincial tax value of $104,502 and a federal excise tax value of $64,831,” said the news release.