Police find boxes upon boxes of contraband after traffic stop

A man from Phelpston is facing multiple, serious charges after provincial police pulled him over for a traffic stop. Brant OPP say they conducted a traffic stop on Tuesday in Ancaster that led to the seizure of 2 million unmarked cigarettes.

A man from Phelpston is facing multiple, serious charges after provincial police pulled him over for a traffic stop. Brant OPP say they conducted a traffic stop on Tuesday in Ancaster that led to the seizure of 2 million unmarked cigarettes. Police shared a photo on social media of what appears to be several boxes stacked on top of each other, possibly containing the smokes.

In Ontario, unmarked cigarettes or cigarettes sold in cartons or packages without Ontario’s yellow stamp are illegal (subject to certain exceptions) under the Tobacco Tax Act. On Monday, the province reported seizing almost 8 million unmarked cigarettes across six different incidents of cigarette seizures since the start of 2026. That list did not include the seizure in Ancaster.

The 36-year-old from Phelpston had his vehicle impounded for seven days and is now facing charges of trafficking contraband tobacco and possession of unmarked cigarettes. A second man from Bala has also been charged in relation to the investigation.