Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service locate 350,000 cigarettes in abandoned truck

CORNWALL, ON, July 4 - An attempted vehicle stop by a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service has resulted in the seizure of 350,000 cigarettes. On July 2, 2008, at approximately 10:30 p.m., an Akwesasne Mohawk Police officer observed three vehicles fail to stop at a stop sign in Akwesasne, Ontario. When the officer attempted to stop the first vehicle, a 2008 Dodge pick-up, the drivers of the other two vehicles interfered with the stop by slowing down in front of the police vehicle. The officer later located the 2008 Dodge pick up truck in Cornwall where it had been abandoned following a collision with another vehicle. Witnesses confirmed that the driver had fled the scene on foot.

RCMP officers from Cornwall Detachment attended and seized the Dodge pick up worth an estimated $30,000,and 350,000 cigarettes packaged in 1,750 plastic resealable bags. The cigarettes have an estimated value of $38,500, and are believed to have been manufactured in the United States.

"By disobeying the basic rules of the road, the people involved in this type of activity have demonstrated just how willing they are to interfere with the police in the execution of their duties and place other motorists in jeopardy", said Sgt. Michael Harvey of the RCMP's Cornwall Detachment.