Cornwall ON – The Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) made four (4) contraband tobacco seizures in the following jurisdictions between May 28th and June 14th, 2011:
- Three (3) seizures in South Glengarry, Ontario;
- One (1) seizure in the City of Cornwall, Ontario.
These seizures resulted in the arrest of the following three (3) individuals who have been charged with Possession of Unstamped Tobacco, contrary to Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001, and/or who are facing or have been charged under the provincial Tobacco Tax Act for possession of unmarked cigarettes:
- James CHOLETTE (age 29) and Darren MARSOLAIS (age 33), both from Cornwall, Ontario.
- Atef Ben JABALLAH (age 27) from Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
CHOLETTE also faces two (2) counts of failing to comply with an undertaking as well as one (1) count of breach of his probation order.
JABALLAH was also charged with one (1) count of breach of his probation order. JABALLAH plead guilty to his charges and was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment and received a fine. CBSA officials also conducted an investigation of JABALLAH. Once JABALLAH has served his term of imprisonment, he will be removed from Canada by CBSA officials.
ALSO, these seizures resulted in the arrests of four (4) other individuals who will be facing charges under the federal Excise Act, 2001 and/or the provincial Tobacco Tax Act for possession of unmarked cigarettes.
Items Seized:
- Two (2) vans, one (1) cargo trailer, one (1) 21 foot boat with a 225 HP outboard motor, two (2) dinghies, and seven (7) two-wheeled dollies.
- 17,800 re-sealable bags and/or cartons each containing 200 contraband cigarettes;
The CRTF continues to address the complaints of suspicious activity observed by local residents. If anyone notices suspicious activity, they are urged to please contact the CRTF at 613-937-2800 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
The CRTF is a joint forces partnership that includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police, Ontario Ministry of Revenue and Cornwall Community Police Service.
