From: canoe.ca
MONTREAL – The RCMP joined provincial and local police to dismantle a massive contraband tobacco ring in Quebec, arresting at least 20 people including a fire chief.
Arrest warrants targeted a total of 30 suspects in at least 10 municipalities as more than 250 officers, including search dogs and a SWAT team, fanned out across southwestern Quebec on Wednesday morning.
The bust targeted smugglers who allegedly sold tobacco and small cigars manufactured in Akwesasne, a Mohawk reserve that straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York State.
Four firefighters from Godmanchester, Que., were rounded up, including operations chief Andrew McDonald, provincial police said Wednesday.
McDonald’s home and the fire hall were both searched.
Police say the smugglers handled large amounts of tobacco, cigarettes and small cigars manufactured in Akwesasne. They moved the illicit goods along the St. Lawrence River by boat during the summer and by snowmobile in the winter.
A QMI investigation last fall revealed the scope of the smuggling network as well as intimidation tactics against citizens who tried to denounce the crimes.
