From: The Whig
Crime Stoppers campaign hopes to butt-out illegal cigarettes
By Steph Crosier, Kingston Whig-Standard
Ash Gutheinz, Crime Stoppers Coordinator for Kingston and the 1000’s Islands, at with different forms of contraband cigarettes at Kingston Police headquarters in Kingston, Ont. on Wednesday November 8, 2017. Steph Crosier/Kingston Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network
With the sale of illegal cigarettes on the rise in Kingston, Crime Stoppers is looking to crack down, saying purchasing the cheap smokes does more harm than perceived.
“With contraband cigarettes so readily accessible, terrorist groups and organized crime groups across North America, and Ontario, they are able to expand their ventures discretely,” Ash Gutheinz, co-ordinator for Kingston/1000 Islands Crime Stoppers as well as a Kingston Police officer, said during the launch of Crime Stoppers’ public awareness campaign entitled “Crime Stoppers: Sale of Illegal Cigarettes Funding Bikers, Street Gangs and Terrorists.”
