Holland said he recalled thinking that perhaps tax increases and the shift to plain packaging to deter young people from buying cigarettes actually convinced more people to quit smoking.Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion delivered straight to your inbox at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A pack of cigarettes at his store sells for between $17 and $21 and cartons of cigarette packs cost about $175, while contraband cigarettes sell for about $5 a pack and the cartons for about $50, said Holland. “Contraband tobacco invites criminal activity into our communities, puts contraband tobacco into the hands of children and youth, and hurts convenience store operators who follow the rules but are forced to compete with the black market,” says an alliance statement issued in November.
It says the finance ministry has a dedicated investigations unit that works closely with municipal police forces, the RCMP, Canada Revenue Agency, Canadian Border Services Agency and other law enforcement agencies.