Know your Facts

Under the Tobacco Tax Act, unless otherwise authorized, it is illegal to buy, possess or distribute any quantity of untaxed cigarettes or any other untaxed tobacco products.
Under the Federal Law If you sell, transport, deliver, distribute or have CONTRABAND TOBACCO in your possession, you could face imprisonment for up to 5 years
In Ontario, one in three cigarettes are illegal.
There are about 300 illegal smoke shacks and 50 illegal tobacco factories in Ontario alone.
Contraband trade funds other illegal activities, such as guns, drugs, and human smuggling.
Contraband tobacco impacts the economy on a global scale. In Sweden, tobacco tax fraud earns lucrative profits for criminals. Between 2009-2011, 12 cigarette import companies robbed the state of US$81.3 million in tobacco taxes.
Contraband tobacco threatens national security. For example, Operation Smokescreen, which took place between 1995 and 2000, revealed that a Hezbollah cell operating in the United States was generating money through illegal cigarette trafficking. The money was allegedly used to sponsor military training overseas.
According to the RCMP, there are 175 criminal gangs involved in the contraband trade.
Contraband tobacco is a big loss to the taxpayer. Governments in Canada lose more than 3.1 billion dollars in tax revenues annually to illegal cigarettes. Contraband tobacco is a big loss to the taxpayer. Governments in Canada lose more than 3.1 billion dollars in tax revenues annually to illegal cigarettes.
Cigarette.

Burn Rate

Did you know fires are frequently caused by contraband cigarettes?
Illegal cigarettes lack the safety features that legal cigarettes have to prevent accidental fires.

The mechanism for self-extinguishing cigarettes is known as “reduced ignition propensity cigarettes,” This does not exist in contraband cigarettes putting everyone at risk!

Consequences

If you are convicted of possessing unmarked cigarettes under the Ontario Tobacco Tax Act you may be fined three times the tax on the unmarked cigarettes you possessed plus face penalties of

$100

200 unmarked cigarettes or less

$250

more than 200 unmarked cigarettes but less than 1,001

$500

more than 1,000 unmarked cigarettes but less than 10,001

$500-$10000

more than 10,000 unmarked cigarettes

In addition, if it is not your first conviction for possessing unmarked cigarettes or if you are in possession of more than 10,000 unmarked cigarettes you may be sentenced to up to two years in jail.

For more information visit:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/​london/contraband-cigarette-fires-london-1.4769037 https://www.ontario.ca/page/illegal-tobacco https://security.frontline.online/​article/2013/2/2416-Illicit-Tobacco