Sask. Highway Patrol Seizes 8.75 Million Cigarettes Near Swift Current

A 25-year-old Calgary man has been charged after the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol seized 8.75 million cigarettes following an inspection of a truck along Highway 1 near Swift Current earlier this summer.

According to an RCMP press release, the inspection was conducted on July 17 by a weigh station officer with the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol. He determined that the truck had a false bill of lading, a legal document that a trucking company issues to a shipper.

Officers then found approximately 30 pallets of unstamped tobacco in the trailer before arresting the driver.

Investigation revealed the semi was headed to British Columbia from Ontario. Saskatchewan Highway Patrol said the 8.75 million cigarettes was the largest tobacco seizure in history.

The 25-year-old driver was charged with selling, offering for sale or possessing a tobacco product not properly marked and with possessing, storing, transporting or selling tobacco not properly marked.

The suspect is scheduled to appear in court in Swift Current on August 14, the RCMP said.