Three men are facing charges following the seizure this week of 3,300 cartons of contraband tobacco from a cube van on the highway near Port aux Basques.
A 32-year-old man from St. John’s and two Mount Pearl men, ages 31 and 45, are each facing charges under the Federal Excise Act and Revenue Administration Act for possession of contraband tobacco.
The van was pulled over after it bypassed a required check-in at the weigh scales.
The vehicle was stopped around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and escorted back to the weigh scales, where the occupants refused to allow highway enforcement officers to search the back of the van.
RCMP, with the help of Police Dog Services conducted an investigation and obtained a search warrant which found 3,300 cartons of unstamped tobacco and a quantity of alcohol.
The estimated street value of the seized tobacco is about $165,000 dollars while the amount of lost revenue to the province is about $363,000 dollars.
