This story was edited to reflect it was provided by CRTF.
SUMMERSTOWN, Ontario – Officers with the Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) arrested Donald Andrew Giasson, 33, of Kahnawake, Quebec, on the evening of April 29 under the Excise Act (2001) for Possession of Unstamped Tobacco.
While conducting a border integrity operation on the shore of the St. Lawrence River in South Glengarry, officers observed a vessel with no navigation lights, travelling at a high rate of speed away from the Summerstown area.
Officers established surveillance on a suspicious, speeding pick-up truck heading towards Highway 401 a short time after the incident. A traffic stop was conducted as the vehicle attempted to access the eastbound ramp. Officers quickly discovered that the vehicle was loaded with bags of unstamped, fine cut tobacco.
Police seized of a total of 38 bags of unstamped, fine cut tobacco weighing 659.30 kgs and a 2007 Dodge Ram pickup truck. The driver also faces charges under the provincial Tobacco Tax Act.
The CRTF is a joint forces partnership that includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency, and the Ontario Ministry of Finance.
Giasson will appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall, Ontario on June 4th.
If you have any information regarding criminal activity in your area, you can contact the CRTF at 1-613-937-2800 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
