B.C. RCMP announce seizure of millions of dollars worth of contraband cigarettes

Police in British Columbia say they've seized more than 27 tonnes of contraband cigarettes worth more than $24 million in a pair of investigations over the past year.

Assistant RCMP Commissioner David Teboul says the investigations involved collaboration with tax fraud investigators from the B.C. Ministry of Finance, calling the seizures of 133,000 cartons of cigarettes a " major blow to numerous organized crime groups."

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the most recent raids in Mission and Maple Ridge on Feb. 28, involving 67,500 cartons, represent the largest one-time seizure of contraband cigarettes in the province.

Farnworth says the seizure is not only a blow to gangs and organized crime groups, but also a welcome development for small retailers including corner stores that depend on legal tobacco sales.

Mounties say investigators executed four search warrants last week in Maple Ridge and Mission where the cigarettes were stored, making two arrests and seizing 70 pounds of silver and $100,000 in cash.

RCMP say previous seizures last spring and summer netted more than 66,000 cartons.