A traffic stop on Highway 1 east of Indian Head last week resulted in a significant seizure of illegal cigarettes.

Saskatchewan Highway Patrol officers pulled over a semi with a trailer early Thursday afternoon (Nov. 10), and a search turned up 18 pallets each containing 30 boxes of unstamped tobacco.

In total, officers seized approximately 5.4-million cigarettes and over 13-hundred kilograms of shisha tobacco.

34-year-old Sargon Jahn and 35-year-old Berj Antaneek, both of Hamilton, Ontario, are each charged with two counts of selling tobacco and raw leaf tobacco; and one count a piece of unlawful possession or sale of tobacco products, unlawfully import tobacco into Saskatchewan, and possession or authorize or cause another person to be in possession of unmarked tobacco.

Both are scheduled to appear in court in Indian Head on January 3, 2023.

“This is a very significant seizure of contraband tobacco – the largest I’ve seen in my career,” says Indian Head RCMP Sgt. Ryan Case. “The sale of illegal tobacco has many effects on Saskatchewan and its residents. When you buy contraband tobacco, you have no idea how and where it is manufactured. There is no quality control like you find with legal manufacture and that presents extra risk to smokers. Also, contraband tobacco reduces revenue for business owners through legal sales, but also represents tax loss for our province. Lastly, the manufacture and trafficking of contraband tobacco is often tied to organized crime groups. We seized 5.4 million unstamped cigarettes through this joint effort with Saskatchewan Highway Patrol – and we will continue to work to disrupt the trafficking of illegal tobacco in our communities.”