Ministry of Revenue

90,000 Illegal Cigarettes Seized From Cornwall Resident

Court Orders Penalties Of More Than $36,000

    CORNWALL, ON, July 10 — Ministry of Revenue investigators and the
RCMP found Corey John in possession of unmarked tobacco leading to charges
under the Tobacco Tax Act.
    John was arrested in Cornwall on March 20, 2006 by the RCMP for
possessing unstamped tobacco under the Excise Act, 2001 after finding his car
contained 90,000 illegal cigarettes. The contraband tobacco was seized and
forfeited.
    On June 14 John pleaded guilty to charges of possessing 90,000 contraband
cigarettes without legal authority under the Ontario Tobacco Tax Act and under
corresponding federal Excise Tax legislation. John was ordered to pay total
fines of $34,400 and pay a surcharge of $2,500 to the Ontario Victims' Justice
Fund.
    Vigorous enforcement of the Tobacco Tax Act is an important component of
the Ontario government's Smoke-Free Ontario initiative. The Government of
Ontario has many enforcement measures to discourage the sale of contraband
tobacco and has strengthened the act with new inspection and seizure powers,
new offence provisions, increased fines and civil penalties and provisions
that permit ministry investigators to share intelligence information with
police and other agencies that enforce tobacco-related laws.
    The McGuinty government is proposing to further enhance enforcement
measures by temporarily suspending tobacco sales privileges of retailers who
repeatedly contravene the Tobacco Tax Act or the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

    

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                 For more information visit www.rev.gov.on.ca
    

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