Six men have been arrested in what police are calling the largest-ever seizure of counterfeit cigarettes in B.C.
The Canada Border Services Agency says it found 50,000 cartons of the bogus smokes in a shipping container that arrived in Vancouver from China on April 15.
The container was said to contain sinks, but when it was examined, border agents found counterfeit Canadian and U.S. brands, along with some Chinese brands not normally available in Canada.
RCMP Sgt. Duncan Pound of the federal Border Integrity Program says it's the largest counterfeit tobacco seizure in B.C. history, and the cigarettes are worth about $3.4 million.
He says that amount of illegal tobacco costs the public millions of dollars in lost duties and taxes.
The shipment was destined for a Richmond address, and when police followed up they arrested six men who were later released pending an investigation.
