MONTRÉAL: Five individuals appeared at the Montréal courthouse to face charges of conspiracy and smuggling tobacco, while another accused person, Carlos Almeida de Oliveira, is the subject of an arrest warrant. According to the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) investigation, the accused developed and carried out a plan to illegally bring tobacco products into Canada without paying duties and taxes owing under the Customs Act and the Excise Act, 2001.
According to the investigation, the plan involved making a declaration that the tobacco would be temporarily imported into Canada from the United States, with Haiti as a final destination. However, during the transport to Canada, they removed the tobacco and substituted other merchandise for export, such as mouldy tobacco, tobacco powder and empty boxes. The merchandise substitution was carried out, among other places, in a bonded sufferance warehouse in Lachine, Quebec. Consequently, the imported tobacco remained in Canada in order to be smuggled into the Canadian market.
