From: Inside Hamilton
By David Lea
Representatives of the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT) were in Halton on Tuesday and called for better laws and penalties to counter the illegal manufacture and distribution of cigarettes.
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“This affects young people who have access to these illegal cigarettes. This affects the economy, which is losing a lot of money because of this and it affects society as a whole because a society that allows organized crime to run rampant is being impacted in a negative way.”
Grant emphasized the proliferation of contraband cigarettes is greater in Ontario than anywhere else in Canada with an estimated one in three cigarettes purchased in the province being illegal.
He said these cigarettes are manufactured in illegal factories without any kind of regulations in both the U.S. and Canada.
