The dismantling of a shisha tobacco smuggling network by the Montreal police over the past week has led to the seizure of 90 kg of this material.
Three searches were carried out as part of the operation, two in the borough of Saint-Laurent, in Montreal, in a business and in a residence, and another in a residence in Laval.
Four vehicles used for smuggling were then seized in addition to $40,000 in cash.
Three suspects aged 21 to 35 were arrested under the Tobacco Tax Act. The file of this investigation, which began in 2020, will be submitted to Revenu Québec prosecutors so that charges can be laid.
The police investigation and the dismantling were led by the ACCES Tabac unit of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), which benefited in particular from the support of neighborhood police station 7 in the borough of Saint-Laurent, the Laval police service and investigators from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
Smoking is prohibited in any place covered by this Act, including bars and restaurants, recalls the SPVM, which specifies that fines have been given to the tenants of the business searched as well as to six customers.
