Bell Island RCMP, in partnership with Canadian Postal inspectors, arrested 68-year-old Blair Brown of Bell Island on Nov. 20 for illegal possession of contraband tobacco.
A week earlier, Canadian Postal inspectors in St. John’s alerted the RCMP of suspicious packages that were destined for a resident of Bell Island.
Brown was arrested following a traffic stop on Bell Island when police located and seized a quantity of contraband tobacco.
A search warrant was obtained for his Bell Island residence where various electronic devices and an additional quantity of contraband tobacco were seized from the home.
The investigation led to a total seizure of 130 cartons of contraband tobacco.
Brown was later released from custody and is scheduled to attend provincial court on Feb. 2 to answer to charges under the Federal Excise Act and Provincial Revenue Administration Act for the possession of unstamped and contraband tobacco respectively.
