Drugs, contraband cigarettes found in Alta. Chinese restaurant and pawn shop: RCMP
A Chinese restaurant has been charged with selling contraband cigarettes and a pawn shop employee is accused of selling drugs, following a pair of raids northeast of Edmonton.
RCMP in the town of St. Paul, Alta. executed search warrants inside Fu Lum Chinese Restaurant and Wild West Exchange on Wednesday.
In total, police allege officers seized 62 illegal cartons of contraband tobacco, 162 grams of cannabis and 66 grams of Psilocybin Mushrooms.
The restaurant has been charged under the Tobacco Tax Act after 2,347 contraband cigarettes were seized totalling a provincial tax avoidance of $645, RCMP said.
More than 8,000 contraband cigarettes and 1,940 contraband cigars were seized at the pawn shop across the street, police said, totalling tax avoidance of more than $4,500.
An employee at the pawn shop has been charged with:
- Illegal sale of tobacco;
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking drugs;
- Possession of illicit cannabis;
- Distribute illicit cannabis;
- Possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling;
- Distribute over 30 grams of cannabis.
“This was a great team effort by all involved in this investigation” said RCMP Cpl. Stephen Cunningham.
“Contraband tobacco takes revenue away from legitimate businesses and also tax revenue. When you buy contraband tobacco, you have no idea where it is manufactured or what they may contain.”
Investigators with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Enforcement Unit (AGLC) were also involved in the search and seizure.
Police did not name any of the people accused.
St. Paul is about 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.