A recent trend of contraband cigarette seizures in the Swift Current area has caught the attention of the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco.
On July 15th, the RCMP seized 500,000 illicit cigarettes from a vehicle on Highway #1.
"There's a significant move by organized crime to target both the east coast and the west coast of our country," said NCACT Executive Director Rick Barnum. "Most of the contraband cigarettes available for sale by organized crime in Canada are made in Ontario or southwestern Quebec, and then they are transported from there. We're starting to see a real push to Western Canada. A seizure like this, although not huge, but significant enough that we've started to see a lot of seizures of that nature in Saskatchewan. The other thing is not surprising at all, but typical that the contraband cigarettes are being seized alongside of illicit drugs."
The recently retired Deputy Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police gets that contraband tobacco isn't on the top of everyone's list of crimes they are concerned about.
"I actually understand why people feel that way about contraband cigarettes," Barnum said. "The reality is it is an illicit commodity that's pretty much 100% fueled by organized crime. It is an absolute stable for over 154 organized crime groups in Canada. To sell contraband tobacco and make a significant amount of profit from that, it is now over a billion-dollar industry within our country.
"It's organized crimes making that money to support other criminal ventures that they take, and secondly, it's lost tax revenue that should be going to things like new hospitals, better roads, whatever you choose that our tax dollars are spent on by governments. What we see is the continual shrinking of the revenue from legitimate cigarette sales. That has been taken over by organized crime, so it hurts every one of us."
Barnum added they've commissioned studies that shows the problem is continuing to grow.
In addition to the 500,000 cigarettes seized this month, RCMP seized 7.5 million cigarettes in February, and 8.75 million cigarettes in August 2024.
A BC man ended up fined $2.68 million after being arrested with 42,000 cartons of illegal cigarettes in the fall of 2023.
"I think you're seeing police in Western Canada pay closer attention to the issue now," Barnun said. "A seizure like this is great. It's great to get the cigarettes and recover the fines."
He added those seizures take money away from organized crime and often also take illegal drugs off the streets.