Lamèque man pleads guilty to possession of contraband tobacco

August 23, 2016 by admin News 0 comments

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Félix Antoine Savoie, 61, of Lamèque, pleaded guilty in provincial court in Bathurst on Aug. 14 to possessing more than 20,000 illegal cigarettes. Savoie was charged under section 121.1 (4)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada as well as sections 2.2(1)(a) and 2.2(1.6) of theTobacco Tax Act of New Brunswick. Fines totaling $27,950.40 were imposed.
The guilty plea follows enforcement activities of June 30 where the Bathurst City Police and the Contraband Enforcement Unit of the Department of Justice and Public Safety, working in partnership, intercepted Savoie and found him in possession of illegal cigarettes.
The contraband tobacco market is estimated to represent a revenue loss to the province of $13 million annually.
Revenues from the sale of illegal tobacco are often funnelled into organized crime. Manufacturers of illegal tobacco products are not subject to standards or inspections.

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2016.08.0775.html