21591 replies to this topic

[pontcanna]

Investigators Seize Over Half A Million Dollars in Contraband Cigarettes and Cash 

 

Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023 - File: #23-7127 

 

Victoria, BC – Last month VicPD investigators executed two search warrants in the Greater Victoria area which resulted in the seizure of contraband cigarettes and cash. 

 

In February, officers with the General Investigation Section (GIS) began an investigation into the sale of contraband tobacco in the Greater Victoria area.  

 

The investigation led officers to a storage locker in View Royal and a residence in the 2400-block of Chambers Street in Victoria. On April 12, investigators executed search warrants at both locations and seized over 2,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes and $65,000 in Canadian currency. The value of the seized cigarettes is approximately $450,000.

 

 

Some of the tobacco products seized by GIS investigators

 

For tobacco products to be sold legally in BC, they must have provincial stamps displayed on the packaging that indicates the payment of both provincial and federal taxes. Contraband tobacco is identified by having no provincial stamps displayed on the packaging.

 

Investigators believe contraband tobacco is being sold in Greater Victoria at a fraction of its retail price, which likely has a negative impact on local retail outlets and small businesses.

 

If you have information about the sale of contraband tobacco please call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1. To report what you know anonymously, please call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 

This file is still under investigation and further details cannot be shared at this time. 

 

[aastra]

Fake news. Everybody knows there can't possibly be organized crime around legal products. Because that would be crazy, right? It would mean the politicians and the academics and the experts were lying mistaken when they offered endless assurances to the contrary. And that's a logical impossibility.

[Victoria Watcher]

Is 2,000 cartons of cigarettes significant?

If 10% of the CRD population are smokers (40,000) and they each buy one carton a month, that would be 480,000 cartons per year.


Is a carton really $225? That’s what the article implies.

This 2018 article says a carton is $110.

https://www.statista...-region-canada/


This article says the average smoker smokes 14 cigarettes in a day. So 420 per month.

https://www.cdc.gov/...rettes in 2016.

Is that 2+ cartons? So that would be nearly a million cartons per year in the CRD.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 May 2023 - 04:19 PM.

[aastra]

As I always note whenever we see these kinds of stories, if a few hundred thousand dollars represents just one load of business for just one team of low-level bozos in just one area of just one city, then organized crime is absolutely off the charts. And yet news media and politicians generally give the higher levels a free pass as if they couldn't possibly be exerting massive influence, driving certain agendas, etc.

[Matt R.]

Yes, cigarettes are crazy expensive, pushing $20 these days and it seems like the taxes go up every week.

I think we are about ~$150 for a carton of regular smokes, the organic ones maybe a bit more and retail from $170-210. Cheaper elsewhere by a couple bucks I hear, but yeah retail value of a carton is about $200.

[Matt R.]

As I always note whenever we see these kinds of stories, if a few hundred thousand dollars represents just one load of business for just one team of low-level bozos in just one area of just one city, then organized crime is absolutely off the charts. And yet news media and politicians generally give the higher levels a free pass as if they couldn't possibly be exerting massive influence, driving certain agendas, etc.

This is how I feel about the waste we generate at work - “recycling” and otherwise. If our little tiny shop on a little tiny island produces this much, the national scale is unimaginable.

[pontcanna]

Islander wanted in U.S. may be in Canada

 

Man from Central Saanich facing rape charge has fled Utah, documents say

• Times Colonist
• 12 May 2023

An arrest warrant has been issued for a University of Utah student from Central Saanich facing sexual assault-related charges who law enforcement officials believe has fled to Canada.

 

The 19-year-old male has been charged with rape and forcible sodomy, first degree felonies, and forcible sexual assault, a second-degree felony, relating to an incident on Aug. 16, 2022, according to documents filed in the Third District Court in Salt Lake county in Utah.

 

Charges were filed Monday, the same day the arrest warrant was issued.

 

The University of Utah’s athletics office issued a statement saying on Feb. 16, it was made aware of a serious allegation involving a member of the men’s swimming and diving program.

 

Benjamin Dennis Kai Smyth (from diving website)

 

The student was suspended from all team activities the following day, the office said.

 

“We take matters of this type very seriously, and have continued to monitor the situation,” the statement said.

 

A female student told the university’s police department that she had been reading a book in the common area of her dorm building when she was approached by a group of males, including the male student who has been charged. They shared contact information.

 

She went to her dorm room and received a text from the student, who came to her room and raped her, she told police, according to court documents.

 

Days after the interview, a police officer went to the male student’s dorm room to serve a temporary protective order. But the student’s roommate answered the door and told the officer that the male student had cleared out all his belongings and moved out.

 

In the document filed with the court, the state listed the male student’s address in Central Saanich. There was no answer at the door on Thursday afternoon.

 

Central Saanich Police A/Sgt. Gary Lacey said that the detachment had not been approached by any other law enforcement agency in Canada or the U.S. about the case.

 

Benjamin Dennis Kai Smyth is facing the charges outlined in the indictment.

 

More: https://digitaltimes...281556590171311

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Search for remains at Winnipeg landfill could take years, cost up to $184M: feasibility study  

 

Police believe remains of 2 First Nations women are in Prairie Green landfill

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...itoba-1.6840411

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 May 2023 - 06:06 AM.

[Mike K.]

This is how I feel about the waste we generate at work - “recycling” and otherwise. If our little tiny shop on a little tiny island produces this much, the national scale is unimaginable.

Per-capita our garbage is rising.

So the CRD will be increasing dump fees from $110 to $150 per tonne.

Expect your garbage costs to rise 100% over the next few years, with higher fees and higher operating costs for your garbage contractor.

[Mike K.]

Sounds like there was a police-involved shooting in Duncan this morning.

[pontcanna]

B.C. police watchdog investigating incident in Duncan

British Columbia's police oversight agency is investigating an incident in Duncan, B.C., on Friday morning.

CTV News has viewed a video recording of the incident in the parking lot of the Duncan-North Cowichan RCMP detachment.

The video shows a person in a grey hooded sweatshirt exit a dark-coloured vehicle that has crashed into an RCMP cruiser, apparently forcing the police vehicle down a small embankment.

Two uniformed RCMP officers approach the person who appears to be accessing the rear passenger seat of the vehicle.

One officer can be seen drawing a weapon as the person turns toward him. A single gunshot is heard and the person falls backward onto the ground.

 

More: https://vancouverisl...uncan-1.6396160

[pontcanna]

Video:

Moderator edit: original video source: https://m.facebook.c...mibextid=qC1gEa

[aastra]

 

This is how I feel about the waste we generate at work - “recycling” and otherwise. If our little tiny shop on a little tiny island produces this much, the national scale is unimaginable.

 

I've developed a pretty lean lifestyle re: waste of all kinds. Let's just say it rings a bit hollow for me when governments, corporations, industry, and Hollywood celebrities talk about reducing waste. I remember routine days at the "environmentally responsible" office when more stuff would get trashed in one batch than I've personally trashed over many years, if not over my entire life.

 

Anyway, ignoring the big fish and focusing on the minnows is the standard formula for all of these issues.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yikes.

[Matt R.]

Per-capita our garbage is rising.

So the CRD will be increasing dump fees from $110 to $150 per tonne.

Expect your garbage costs to rise 100% over the next few years, with higher fees and higher operating costs for your garbage contractor.

This is the same thing we saw with CRD water. We ended up saving so much water they had to raise the price! CRD dings me 47 cents per gallon for dumping sewage sludge, goes up every year I think.

[Matt R.]

I've developed a pretty lean lifestyle re: waste of all kinds. Let's just say it rings a bit hollow for me when governments, corporations, industry, and Hollywood celebrities talk about reducing waste. I remember routine days at the "environmentally responsible" office when more stuff would get trashed in one batch than I've personally trashed over many years, if not over my entire life.

Anyway, ignoring the big fish and focusing on the minnows is the standard formula for all of these issues.

We still have nearly 6000l of treated water running down our road from who knows where into the storm drain, CRD shrugs and says it’s “very minor”, yet I bet we get freshly printed “every drop counts!” posters next week.

Eta: 6000l per day every day since December or so.

Edited by Matt R., 12 May 2023 - 12:12 PM.

[pontcanna]

Wanted Person Dillan Cote Arrested 

 

Date: Friday, May 12, 2023 

 

File: #23-15830 

 

Victoria, BC – Dillan Cote was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant for failing to return to his community residential facility in Victoria. 

 

 

Dillan Cote was arrested yesterday morning in the lower mainland. He was the subject of a VicPD wanted person alert on May 5.

 

[pontcanna]

Mischief in Beacon Hill Park

May 11, 2023

VicPD are looking for your help to identify this female suspect, who is accused of committing the crime of Mischief Under $5000.00.

The victim was taking pictures of birds on May 9th in Beacon Hill Park, when they were confronted by the suspect. Words were exchanged between the two and the suspect ended up throwing the victim's camera bag into a nearby pond. The camera case contained a camera and several other accessories worth a combined value of approximately $3000.00. Luckily the victim was able to snap a picture of the suspect before she left the area.

 

 

If you know who she is and you want to tell us her name anonymously, please call 1-800-222-8477 or submit HERE.

File: #23-16563

 

Link: https://victoriacrim...acon-hill-park/

 

[pontcanna]

Police seek witnesses to violent assault

2023-05-12 - File #2023-15745

The Nanaimo RCMP is looking for witnesses and video evidence following a vicious assault in downtown Nanaimo. The incident occurred at approximately 6:20 PM on Thursday May 11, 2023, near the intersection of Bastion St and Wallace St.

Police were on scene within minutes. The victim, a 38-year-old man, sustained serious life threatening injuries and was transported by BCEHS to the Nanaimo hospital. He was later airlifted to a hospital in Victoria. Police were able to identify a possible suspect nearby and took this person into custody without incident. The suspect, an adult man, is currently in police custody.

Investigators are seeking any witnesses to the incident, including dash-cam video. If anyone has information, please contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
 
Released by

Cst. Gary O'Brien
Media Relations Officer
Nanaimo RCMP

[pontcanna]

Police arrest two youths for brandishing weapons on bus

West Shore

2023-05-12 - File #2023-8894

On May 10th at approximately 8:15 p.m. West Shore RCMP responded to a report of a disturbance taking place on board a BC Transit bus located at the bus loop on Ocean Blvd and Island Hwy in Colwood.

Police learned two male youth suspects on board the bus were causing a disturbance and making threats to passengers. When confronted by another passenger, one of the youths brandished a baton threatening passengers with it.

The suspect youth were located and arrested by police for several offences including possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats and breach of Undertaking, as they were both bound by conditions to not possess weapons and to not have contact with each other stemming from prior investigations.

They were brought before court on May 11th and charged with:

Youth 1 charged with: 1 count of Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose, 2 counts of Breach of Undertaking.

Youth 2 charged with: 1 count of Breach of Undertaking

The youths have since been released by the courts. Passengers on the bus did not report any physical injuries.
 

Released by

Cpl. Nancy Saggar
Media Relations Officer
West Shore RCMP