The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says two brothers who attempted to smuggle more than 45,000 kilograms of contraband tobacco into the country from the United States have been convicted.
In a news release issued Friday, the CBSA said border agents at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., seized the tobacco on three separate occasions between 2021 and 2022.
They said James McDuffie and Jason McDuffie, both 53-years-old, used a commercial truck to move the tobacco across the border.
If their efforts had been successful, the CBSA said, they would have avoided approximately $17.5 million in duties and taxes.
“Criminal groups use various methods to smuggle contraband tobacco into Canada,” the CBSA said in a statement. “This smuggling supports organized crime and helps move other high-profit illegal goods such as narcotics and weapons. The trade of contraband tobacco is a threat to the safety and health of Canadians.”
James McDuffie pleaded guilty to making false statements under the Customs Act on June 17 and received nine months’ house arrest followed by two years of probation.
Jason McDuffie pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling under the Customs Act and two counts of possession of unstamped tobacco under the Excise Act on May 21. He received a conditional sentence of two years less a day on house arrest, probation for 12 months, and is ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.
