Back in November 2005, the Canadian police busted a huge tobacco contraband operation based in Quebec supplying millions of dollars worth of tobacco products across various Canadian provinces. The scale of the illegal business was impressive. It took a police operation made up of hundreds of officers raiding 40 locations in several large cities to break it up. In the process 32 people were arrested and 25 vehicles were impounded along with tobacco processing equipment. The alleged ring leader, 52-year old Bertrand Beaupre/ who is also accused of drug dealing, is fairly typical of a growing breed of criminal entrepreneurs. Criminals cashing in on one of Canada's most lucrative and fast growing illegal activities - tobacco contraband. The operation was simple. Tobacco was taken from farms in Ontario and Quebec and processed at facilities in three cities in Quebec into various tobacco products. Many of the cigarettes would be sold, for instance, in provinces in Western Canada for $40 a carton, massively undercutting legitimate retailers selling similar products for $80, according to police statements.
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