Three men arrested over illegal tobacco

Three men, 21 to 25, will appear in a Valleyfield courtroom in June in the wake of the seizure this month by RCMP and Ontario police of more than 1.5 tonnes of contraband tobacco.

The arrests occurred April 9, after members of the Cornwall Regional Task Force sighted a vessel travelling eastbound on the St. Lawrence River.

Once the boat stopped in the area of Pie XII Blvd. and the Beauharnois Canal in Valleyfield, police converged on the scene and arrested the trio of suspects. They seized 1,587 kilograms of contraband fine cut tobacco as well as a 1998 Ford cube van.

The suspects were released after signing a promise to appear in court.

Police estimate the tobacco seized was worth nearly $500,000 in duties and taxes.

The CRTF is headed by the RCMP and includes Ontario Provincial Police and the Ontario Ministry of Finance.