Commentary
A record seizure in northwest Edmonton should have prompted more than a discussion about unpaid tobacco taxes. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) investigators, supported by Edmonton police, seized nearly 158,000 cartons containing more than 31.6 million illegal cigarettes from a commercial property in June.
The shipment was valued at more than $29 million and represented an estimated $9.4 million in avoided provincial taxes, and is the largest contraband tobacco seizure in AGLC history.
The tax loss is significant, but it is not the most important number. Moving 31.6 million cigarettes requires capital, transport, secure storage, communications, distributors, and a market capable of absorbing the product. It also requires a system to collect and move millions of dollars outside the legitimate economy. That is not casual smuggling. It is a functioning criminal supply chain….