On July 17, a Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) officer conducted a routine inspection on a semi and trailer near Swift Current, leading to the largest tobacco seizure in SHP history.

The officer discovered that the semi’s bill of lading was false. A closer inspection of the trailer revealed approximately 8.75 million unstamped cigarettes hidden inside. The driver, 25-year-old Vishavpreet Singh from Calgary, was arrested. Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT), along with the Swift Current Rural RCMP, took over the investigation.

Singh faces multiple charges related to the illegal transport and possession of unstamped tobacco and is set to appear in Swift Current Provincial Court on August 14. This case highlights the effectiveness of the partnership between SHP and the RCMP in combating inter-provincial trafficking.