Canadian border agents seized more than $2 million worth of contraband cigarettes after searching a shipment from China last month—the contents of which had been declared as “electric fans,” according to authorities. The Canada Border Services Agency said the container was referred for examination after arriving in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, based on tips from law enforcement partners in both China and the U.S. Officers searched the shipment at a customs-controlled facility in Burnaby on Sept. 15, finding “216 boxes packed with 19,982 cartons of cigarettes,” the CBSA said in a news release Friday. Authorities valued the approximately four million individual cigarettes discovered in the shipment at $2.2 million, while the amount of “duties and taxes evaded” was assessed at nearly $2.5 million, the CBSA added. In a statement, Gary Anandasangaree, Canada’s public safety minister, said the money made selling contraband cigarettes and other smuggled goods is “fuel for organized crime.” “I have seen the work of our CBSA officers up close, and I want to thank them for their efforts in protecting our borders and ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities,” Anandasangaree said. A CBSA spokesperson could not confirm whether anyone was arrested in connection with the seizure, but told CTV News the agency is considering charges under the Customs Act and Excise Act. People caught smuggling cigarettes can face “severe financial penalties” and up to five years in prison, the spokesperson said.
