APTN National News
The Surete du Quebec say nearly 60 arrests were made Wednesday morning targeting biker gangs and what they’re calling Aboriginal organized crime outfits on charges of selling contraband tobacco, drugs and money laundering.
Raids took place in residences and shops, mainly located in the greater Montreal, the Laurentians, Lanaudiere, Monteregie and on Kahnawake in Quebec, as well as on Six Nations in Ontario.
“Project Mygale is the largest ever made to date in America on tobacco smuggling, but also on cross-border crime between Canada and the United States,” said Capt. Frederick Gaudreau of the Surete du Quebec.
Between August 2014 and March 2016, police seized 52,800 kg of tobacco, more than $ 1.5 million in cash from” illicit transactions in Canada,” 836 kg of cocaine, 21 kg of methamphetaminem 100 g of fentanyl and 35 pounds of cannabis.
Police said they have evidence showing that the alleged criminal organization imported 158 shipments, totaling 2,085,600 kilograms, of tobacco into Canada from the U.S. through the border crossings at Lacolle, Lansdowne and Fort Erie for sale on Kahnawke and Six Nations.
According to Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and Kahnawake Peacekeepers, to their knowledge, no raids have been conducted on their territory.
Nearly 700 police were part of the operation, including the Canada Border Services Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police in Ontario, Montreal police, the United States’ Drug Enforcement Administration and municipal police services in Laval, Longueuil, Deux-Montagnes, Richelieu-Saint-Laurent, Chateauguay, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Roussillon, Therese-de-Blainville, Blainville, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Jerome, Mascouche, Terrebonne and Mirabel.
Whoa, Native Tobacco trades seriously needs major oversight. Drugs are the most least needed element in First Nation independence. China led the way out of Colonialism and the Opium trade so whats to say FN’s can’t apply similar and effective decolonisation strategies? Money is money but its not the defining characteristic for achieving and operating true Nationhood.
maybe if the fucking government wouldn’t tax these things to death, there would be any of this shit. take a look back in history, when a pack of smokes was like 35 cents, was there any smuggling then, nope, not a damn bit, even after that, til they started to hit like 6 bucks, that’s when it really started.
the govenment says they are no taxes paid on them, i call bulshit on this, because all the materials that go into making them, except the tobacco itself, is taxed beforehand. the tubes, ink, plastic bags, the boxes they come in, or the packs that are sold too. everything has to be paid for, and guess who gets taxes on these items. so if you or any idiot in government try and say they are tax free, give your head a damn good shake. there are at least 10 items that make up these things that are taxed. give us fucking people a break, you damn crook bastard government.