Tobacco Tax Act

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The SPVM announced last Thursday that it has broken up a shisha tobacco smuggling network, seizing 9,300 kg of the contraband material worth $4.2 million.

The operation was the result of several months of investigation by the SPVM, which concluded June 26. Previous seizures last year were of much smaller amounts, and had taken place in St. Laurent and other locales.

“The investigation, led by the SPVM’s ACCES Tabac unit, in close collaboration with neighbourhood stations and the Laval Police Department, also led to the seizure of 3,650 cartons of contraband cigarettes, 35 vehicles and $158,000 in cash,” an SPVM statement says. “In total, 85 searches were carried out, the majority of them inside businesses, residences and vehicles in the boroughs of St. Laurent, Ahuntsic–Cartierville, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre- Dame-de-Grâce and Montréal North, as well as in the Laval territory. Warehouses located in the Toronto area were also targeted by investigators.”

The SPVM arrested 69 suspects between the ages of 19 and 79, “under the Tobacco Tax Act. The file from this investigation, which began in the fall of 2023, was submitted to Revenue Quebec prosecutors so that charges could be filed.

The SPVM pointed out that the ACCES program “is funded by the government of Quebec and coordinated by the Ministry of Public Security. The SPVM’s ACCES Tabac unit is dedicated to the fight against tobacco smuggling and aims, among other things, to ensure healthy competition for legitimate commerce.”

The police explained that the investigation started “following a series of crimes targeting businesses selling illicit shisha.

“The SPVM continues to monitor the situation closely. Anyone with information can contact 911 or their local station. It is also possible to communicate anonymously and confidentially with Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133 or via the reporting form available on the infocrimemontreal.ca website.”