Two busts this week have resulted in seizures of 500,000 contraband cigarettes and three people from both sides of the border facing charges.
A 30-year-old Cornwall man was caught with 250,000 contraband cigarettes on Monday afternoon.
The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service noticed a 2004 Ford Freestar traveling erratically at about 1:40 p.m. Officers also saw seat headrests sitting on top of cardboard boxes.
They followed the vehicle to a commercial parking lot on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall and called RCMP reinforcements to stop the van. Police seized 1,250 resealable bags containing the cigarettes, and also seized the van itself.
The man, who was not identified by police, faces charges for possessing a tobacco product not properly stamped. He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 31.
Meanwhile, a man and woman from New York State face the same Excise Act charges after being stopped by Akwesasne police on Monday night with 250,000 cigarettes manufactured in the United States.
A 2001 Ford Windstar van was pulled over in Akwesasne at 8:40 p.m. after erratic driving. One thousand resealable bags of cigarettes were seized, along with 250 cartons of Putter's Light cigarettes and the van itself. Both suspects are scheduled to appear in Cornwall court on Nov. 10.
