POLICE SEIZE ILLEGAL TOBACCO FROM BUS, POT FROM FIELDS

Const. Hank Pollard of the Truro RCMP Customs and Excise Section holds
bags of contraband tobacco seized Tuesday in Springhill. The tobacco
was sent on the bus to Springhill."

TRURO -- Illegal tobacco, worth thousands of dollars, was seized by
the RCMP from the bus terminal in Springhill Tuesday.

As a result of information received four large bags containing
contraband tobacco destined for the local market was seized by the
Truro Customs and Excise and Truro Drug Section, said Const. Hank Pollard.

"It's our believe it is coming from the reserves up in Quebec," he
said Wednesday overlooking the pile of 200-gram bags in a storage area
in Truro.

He said the 516 bags were not carried by any individual but the duffel
bags were packed with fabric softener sheets in an attempt to diminish
the tobacco's smell.

"The duty paid markings are not attached to the packaging," he said.

Pollard said the tobacco would likely sell for about $58 a bag at a store.

"It's probably a $29,000-$30,000 value if it was legitimate tobacco," he
said.

On the black market, he said, it could sell for between $22 and $25 a bag.

"It's a fair chunk of change when you think about it," he said.

During the past two weeks approximately 800 marijuana plants from 15
different outdoor sites in Antigonish, Cumberland and Colchester
counties were seized. It was a joint operation between the RCMP's
North East Nova Drug Section in co-operation with the Cumberland,
Antigonish and Bible Hill RCMP detachments and Truro Police Service.

Cpl. Jim Duggan said the plants were maturing and estimated the value
would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.