Two men face charges after illegal cigarettes were seized following an investigation by Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services’ Compliance and Special Investigations Unit.
On Monday, Oct. 26, the Compliance and Special Investigations Unit, with assistance from Halifax Regional Police, searched a commercial property on the Bedford Highway near Kearney Lake Road in Halifax and seized 240,000 contraband cigarettes.
The estimated provincial tax value of the cigarettes is $71,000 and federal tax value is $30,000.
The men, aged 36 and 62, from Halifax, were arrested and will appear in Dartmouth provincial court on Feb. 8 to face charges under the Revenue Act and the Excise Act 2001.
Quick Facts:
— Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services, through its Audit and Enforcement Section of the Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Branch, is responsible for reducing illegal tobacco in Nova Scotia by working with law enforcement partners and through education and enforcement
— since July 1, 2020, Compliance and Special Investigations has seized about 600,000 cigarettes with a tax value of about $250,000
— anyone with information about the sale and manufacturing of illegal tobacco is asked to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers
— calls to Crime Stoppers are not taped or traced. If police make an arrest and lay charges based on a tip, callers qualify for a cash reward between $50 and $2,000
Source: Release #notw