North Okanagan residents arrested for illegal tobacco

Two Armstrong residents are facing charges for allegedly having thousands of dollars worth of illegal tobacco products in their vehicle.

A RCMP officer in the B.C. community of Midway was conducting routine traffic enforcement on Highway 1 near Rock Creek on Saturday, June 1, when they stopped a vehicle to check for valid driver’s license and registration.

“In the course of the interaction, the officer noticed tobacco packaging that did not bear the required tax stamp on its packaging which is required by law,” Cpl. James Grandy, BC RCMP spokesperson, said.

The driver and passenger were arrested under the Excise Act and a search of the vehicle yielded about $42,000 worth of illicit tobacco, and a large quantity of Canadian currency.