Four men from Ontario are facing more than 30 charges after a recent investigation uncovered a tobacco smuggling ring that operated for nearly four years.
A joint investigation between the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region’s Transnational Serious and Organized Crime (TSOC) team in Saskatchewan and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) led to the charges being laid.
TSOC and CBSA investigators uncovered a smuggling ring that police say included the railway system. The ring is alleged to have transported nearly 116,000 kilograms of tobacco into Canada from the United States, in addition to interprovincially, from October 2020 to April 2024.
According to RCMP and CBSA, the four accused were jointly charged on Sept. 21 with four counts of conspiracy related to smuggling into Canada, transporting tobacco, possessing raw leaf tobacco and evading compliance.
Each of the four accused face a litany of individual charges.
A 48-year-old Toronto man faces eight additional charges related to smuggling tobacco.
A 47-year-old Brampton man faces six charges of a similar nature.
A 50-year-old man from Caledon East faces four charges, while a 49-year-old man from Mississauga was charged with possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000.
All four men are scheduled to appear in Toronto Provincial Court on Oct. 29.
“This investigation demonstrates the critical role of strong partnerships and coordinated efforts in combatting the illegal tobacco trade,” Chief Superintendent Brad Wirachowsky of the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region.
“These collaborative efforts are essential to identifying and disrupting the networks involved in the importation of illegal tobacco into Canada.”
The investigators thanked the Ontario Provincial Police, the Chicago High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited Police Service, and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada for their help in the operation.
