Jail Time And $1.1 Million Fine For Quebec Man
January 15, 2010 10:30 AM
Ontario's Tough Tobacco Tax Laws at Work
Carol Gauthier from Jonquière (Quebec) has been sentenced to six months in jail and fined $1,126,523 for possession of more than three million unmarked cigarettes.
Gauthier was convicted of possession of unmarked cigarettes for the purpose of sale in the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on January 11, 2010.
The Ministry of Revenue's Special Investigations Branch laid charges following an incident on April 8, 2008 in which the OPP stopped a vehicle in the Township of East Ferris (south of North Bay), and discovered 3,039,200 unmarked cigarettes.
In addition to the fine, Gauthier must pay a $281,631 surcharge to the Victims' Justice Fund.
The illegal cigarettes were seized and forfeited to the Ontario government.
Quick Facts
- Over the past two years, approximately 67 million illegal cigarettes have been seized in Ontario by ministry investigators and inspectors.
Learn More
- Read about amendments to the Tobacco Tax Act.
- Read about tobacco tax.
- Learn more about the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy
Contacts
- Public Inquiries
1 866 668-8297
- Scott Blodgett (Media Only)
Ministry of Revenue
416 325-0324
Scott.Blodgett@ontario.ca
Ministry of Revenue
ontario.ca/revenue