Thousands of illegal e-cigarettes seized, $1.8M frozen in Quebec

A file photo of e-cigarette products. (AFP Photo / Leon Neal)

More than 300,000 illegal e-cigarettes were seized, and bank accounts totalling $1.8 million were frozen after a series of raids by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) smuggling investigation unit.

The raids targeted an alleged criminal organization involved in the large-scale import and distribution of flavoured nicotine vaping products in Quebec.

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The sale of these products is prohibited in the province.

The SQ explains that 10 searches were conducted at residences across the Greater Montreal area, including in LaSalle, Candiac, Brossard and Dorval.

Seven other raids took place at commercial establishments in LaSalle, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Laval, Terrebonne, Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon and Gatineau.

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A total of eight vehicles were also targeted.

“The network is suspected of fraud because it failed to report income from commercial activities and laundered the proceeds of crime,” the SQ states. “The sale of flavoured e-cigarettes represents an emerging scheme linked to organized crime throughout Quebec.”

During the raids, the following was seized, according to police:

• More than 300,000 e-cigarettes and refills;
• 6,500 contraband cigars;
• More than 10,000 contraband cigarettes;
• Nearly $500,000 in Canadian cash;
• Valuables (jewelry, watches);
• Accounting documents.

“In collaboration with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), 13 bank accounts were frozen, with balances totalling more than $1.8 million,” the SQ notes.

Transactional website vapme.ca was also shut down.

The operation was in collaboration with various police forces, including Montreal, Terrebonne, Roussillon and Longueuil, as well as the ACCES tobacco section of Laval and Gatineau police.

• READ MORE: Impairment to lungs, heart linked to vaping: U of A study

Representatives from Santé Québec, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) were also involved.

Anyone with information about tobacco smuggling is encouraged to confidentially contact the Criminal Information Centre at 1-800-659-4264.