Cheap, illegal tobacco gaining ground, Mounties say

The trade of contraband tobacco has surged in Newfoundland and Labrador in recent months, with police warning the public not to be tempted by the deep discounts offered by illegal vendors.

A contraband 200-gram can of tobacco sells on the street for about $30 roughly a third of what the legal version costs at retailers.

"I think that the contraband tobacco is at a high level here in the province right now," said Sgt. Jim Power, who works with the RCMP's customs and excise unit.

"I don't think it's just a concern for the police. I think it's certainly a concern for the health of people, and it's a concern for the consumers."

Last year, the RCMP seized about three times as much illegal tobacco as they did in 2005.

For retailers like Patty Chafe, who runs a convenience store in Corner Brook, there is still far too much illegal tobacco on the market, andher tobacco and cigarette sales have been hurting.

"I have people who come in periodically and ask [whether] I have bags of tobacco underneath the counter," she said.

"And I kind of chuckle and say to myself, 'I wouldn't be in business very long if I did.'"

RCMP say much of the illegal trade in tobacco in Newfoundland and Labrador originates in native reserves in Ontario and Quebec. Police said smuggled materials are distributed across the province.