Nearly 20 million illegal cigarettes seized in Hamilton, Niagara and 10 people convicted, province says

After several investigations earlier this year in the Hamilton and Niagara areas, officials say, almost 20 million unmarked cigarettes have been seized and six people charged.

The Ontario Ministry of Finance reported on Monday that through three investigations in April and one in January, 19,532,800 cigarettes were seized.

In addition to the six people facing charges, the ministry also reported that 18 people were convicted in April of offences under the Tobacco Tax Act — 10 of them from Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara. Those convictions came, the ministry says, after offences in 2022 and 2023 and involved charges of possession and distribution of unmarked cigarettes. Penalties included fines from $1,764 to $17,612 as well as suspended sentences with probation.

A press release from the ministry said "cigarettes sold in clear plastic bags are illegal, as is engaging in the tobacco business without the required permits."

The release said cigarettes sold in cartons or packages without Ontario's yellow stamp are illegal, "subject to certain exceptions."

In November of 2023, millions of illegal cigarettes were seized from a transport truck on a Burlington highway.

A 60-year-old Toronto man was charged with trafficking in contraband tobacco worth millions of dollars, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CBC Hamilton back then. 

Burlington OPP officers found 9.1 million cigarettes in the truck, making the case "one of the biggest we've been involved in," Schmidt said.

Last year, a Convenience Industry Council of Canada report said the governments of British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador lost up to $2.47 billion in tax revenues over four years due to the growth in illegal tobacco sales. 

"These cigarettes are illegally sold, tax and duty free, without any Health Canada regulations or inspections and retail for a fraction of legal tobacco prices," said the 72-page report.