SASKATOON — A routine traffic check stop at the Langham weigh scale near Saskatoon led to a large seizure of illegal tobacco.
On Nov. 14, Saskatoon RCMP Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) and Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) were operating a check stop at the Langham weigh scale on Highway 16. At approximately 3 a.m., a commercial vehicle drove through the stop without halting. An SHP officer pursued the vehicle, stopped it a few kilometres west of the scale, and escorted it back for inspection.
Inside the trailer, officers discovered 24 pallets of unstamped tobacco. The driver was arrested on site and taken to the Saskatoon RCMP Detachment. The vehicle was seized and transported to the Seized Property Management Directorate in Regina for secure storage and further processing.
The Yorkton RCMP Saskatchewan Trafficking and Response Team (STRT) later confirmed the load contained 9.3 million illegal cigarettes. Cpl. Aaron Gullacher of STRT said the estimated tax evasion from the shipment exceeds $4.4 million, based on provincial and federal rates.
The driver, identified as 24-year-old Akashdeep Akashdeep of Brampton, Ont., faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code, the Tobacco Tax Act, and the Excise Act. He appeared in Saskatoon court on Nov. 17.
“Our government values the strong partnerships between the Saskatchewan RCMP, municipal police services and Saskatchewan Highway Patrol,” said Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod. “Collaborative enforcement efforts, like this check stop, play an essential role in promoting road safety and protecting communities across the province.”
Twenty-three police officers from four agencies operated the check stop. CTSS units from Lanigan, Maidstone, Rosetown, Saskatoon and Yorkton RCMP were joined by Saskatoon Police Service CTSS, Corman Park Police Service and Saskatchewan Highway Patrol
“Partnerships like these allow us to intercept large quantities of illegal goods and send a strong message to traffickers of illicit goods – ‘stay off our roads,’” said Superintendent Grant St. Germaine, the Officer in charge of Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services.
Saskatoon RCMP continues to investigate.
