Press Release
Carl Fontaine and Ashley Fontaine, both of Fort Alexander, Man., were each fined $59,780 for possession of 160,000 unmarked cigarettes.
They were convicted March 10 in Marathon for possession of unmarked cigarettes for the purpose of sale.
Carl Fontaine also was sentenced to six months in jail.
The Ministry of Revenue’s Special Investigations Branch laid the charges following an incident last May 11 in which the OPP stopped a vehicle in Marathon and discovered the unmarked cigarettes.
The illegal cigarettes were seized and forfeited to the Ontario government.
In addition to the fine, Carl and Ashley Fontaine each must pay a $14,945 surcharge to the Victims’ Justice Fund.
Carl Fontaine previously was convicted, and received a fine and six months in jail for a similar offence.
Over the past two years, roughly 75 million illegal cigarettes have been seized in Ontario by ministry investigators and inspectors.
