$4.4M in contraband tobacco seized.
A speeding complaint on Highway 401 has turned into a major tobacco bust worth millions of dollars.
On July 15, 2025, just before 7 a.m., OPP officers from Lennox and Addington responded to a report of a tractor-trailer speeding near Shannonville Road. The truck was later stopped by Frontenac OPP near Joyceville Road and taken to the Ministry of Transportation scales in Gananoque.
During the inspection, officers found over 17,820 kilograms of contraband, fine-cut tobacco inside the trailer. The illegal haul is valued at roughly $4.4 million. Authorities say the unpaid taxes on the shipment could total approximately $9.1 million.
A 60-year-old man from Puslinch Township, has been charged with trafficking contraband tobacco. He was released and is scheduled to appear in court in Kingston on September 2.
The OPP’s Contraband Tobacco Enforcement Team continues to investigate, alongside the Ministry of Transportation.
Story by Bob Perreault
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