Quebec and Ontario police seized more than 13 tons of illegal shisha tobacco during a major operation last week.
The strike targeted a “significant ring” of shisha tobacco smuggling that operated in Ontario and Quebec.
Initially, the investigation focused on an alleged smuggler who was very active in the Laval and Montreal regions, but the work of the police made it possible to trace a shisha tobacco importer established in the Toronto region.
Eight searches were carried out last Wednesday in the municipalities of Laval, Saint-Eustache, Burlington, Mississauga and Scarborough.
These searches resulted in the seizure of 13,300 kilos of shisha tobacco, whose resale value is estimated at nearly $5.8 million.
Three suspects were arrested during the operation, a 45-year-old Quebecer, as well as two Ontarians aged 43 and 44.
“The investigation file will be submitted to prosecutors in both provinces for the filing of charges in relation to contraband tobacco,” Montreal police said in a statement.
This police strike was carried out by the SPVM, in collaboration with the Sûreté du Québec, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Finance.