CBSA seizes tobacco smuggled with vegetables at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle

MONTREAL — A Canada Border Services Agency guard, acting on information from the RCMP and the Sûrété du Québec, pulled a trucker over on Aug. 20 and did a thorough inspection of his semi-trailer. The hunch paid off when the guards found more than 15,000 kilos of loose tobacco smuggled behind boxes of fresh vegetables. This seizure took place at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing. An investigation by the CBSA, RCMP and SQ had made clear that there was a risk of smuggling associated with the truck and driver, so when the fellow pulled up at the border crossing, the agents went to work. The driver arrested and will face charges under the Customs Act and the Excise Act.