When Winnipeg police laid out the largest drug seizure in Manitoba history last week — more than 525 kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, 14 firearms, and $825,000 in cash — the bricks of narcotics and the row of guns drew the cameras. A quieter item in the evidence locker did not: 1.35 million contraband cigarettes.
To a former senior Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) organized crime investigator who has spent decades tracing the illicit tobacco trade, that detail was perhaps the most revealing thing in the multi-agency probe. Illegal cigarettes, he told The Bureau, are the connective tissue of the networks that flood hard drugs from China and Mexico into Canadian communities. If tobacco produced on Indigenous lands fueling fentanyl production does not register with citizens, he says, the one billion in tax dollars lost every year in Ontario alone should at least raise eyebrows.
but but but indigenous *RIGHTS*
I buy bootleg cigarettes, bootleg booze & bootleg cannabis at every opportunity I get over government taxed products.
I’d rather a cartel or indigenous gang get my money than the Gangsters in government
That is because you Sir, are a patriotic Great Canadian and I and millions of other freedom minded Americans salute you. Starve the Crown. Assert your sovereignty and defend it against all comers.
I’ll drink to that, between puffs.
thank you so much kind sir or miss.
Take it easy on the bootleg weed. They put “#things” in it sometimes to give it a little more kick, if you see what I’m saying’.
And because they’re stupid, and probably high as F- on their own supply, occasionally they put in enough to kill you with one puff. That’s where some of those “opioid overdose deaths” come from. Fair warning.
As to the bootleg tobacco, have you ever looked into what they spray that stuff with? Not exactly organic certified. Hope you don’t mind a little black mold in your smokes, that’s a thing too.
I solve the problem by not smoking, not drinking, and not buying recreational weed. That way the government gets zero of my money, and I don’t die. And it’s cheaper than bootleg. Pretty good deal.
the government still gets zero of my money and I don’t have to sacrifice a good time in the process, And lay off whomever is feeding you the misinformation about cannabis and opiates
There’s has never been a confirmed death from fentanyl laced cannabis in the history of North America, which I’m assuming is the opioid your referring to. There has only been one lab confirmed case of fentanyl contaminated cannabis, which occurred in 2021, and it was determined to be accidental cross contamination. In addition, fentanyl is destroyed at the temperatures used to combust and inhale cannabis smoke, making it harmless in that hypothetical usage. It also makes zero financial sense for anyone to lace inexpensive cannabis with expensive opiates.
As for the cigarettes, I’m not much of a smoker, but if there was such a thing as an ‘organic’ cigarette, I’d never buy it. Just like I go out of my way to never buy organic produce.
Scromiting … it happened to me when I took two hits off a “wine soaked” joint my brother in law gave me. Yeah, God knows what it was soaked-in. I won’t be doing that EVER again. I was dumb to do it in the first place.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/09/health/the-real-horrors-of-the-scromiting-weed-disorder-plaguing-ers/
Since I am NOT a chronic user of weed … the episode proved that my body is a healthy temple that cannot be defiled.
I believe what you experienced was real, but Since you weren’t a chronic user of cannabis, what you experienced probably isn’t scromiting by its own definition.
“ The Cause: It is triggered by long-term, heavy cannabis use (often daily over several years) and is linked to overstimulation of the endocannabinoid receptors in the gut.The Symptoms: Sufferers experience intense cycles of severe abdominal pain, unrelenting nausea, and uncontrollable vomiting that can last for hours or days. The pain is so brutal that patients often scream or wail.”
And while soaking cannabis in wine is safe, it also does nothing to add to the experience. The amount of wine in the joint wouldn’t have added enough alcohol to increase intoxication, and the wine wouldn’t have absorbed any THC because THC isn’t water soluble and you would need to decarboxylate the cannabis at high temperatures to infuse the wine.
You probably had an upset tummy or just a bad experience in general.
You’re wrong. I was healthy and fit when it happened. Even though Scromiting is pegged to chronic use … there can be exceptions to the rule … as is true in all of physiology and biology.
BTW … my Scromiting experience happened before Scromiting was even made public. But that is EXACTLY what this bad weed did to me.
As I said … my body is a clean, pristine, well nourished, disease and illness free temple … that simply REJECTED this vile foreign substance … whatever it was.
Them not you
Thor
You sound so GREEK!!!
You have me at a loss. I know so many Greek stereotypes that I don’t want to make assumptions or get prematurely offended by what you may or may not mean by GREEK
One assumes that Thor here is otherwise a law abiding citizen and does not participate in the vortex of criminal activity created by inordinately heavy taxation and rules for some but not for others. Or not ….
Either way; yet another solid case study of failed big government policy creating a perfect environment for crime.
“…yet another solid case study of failed big government policy creating a perfect environment for crime.”
Bold of you to assume they failed. Seems deliberate. Even a socialist couldn’t be this stupid for this long by accident.
It’s looking more and more like the juicy criminal environment is what they were after all along. And now they’re cashing in bigtime.
Agreed.
The apices of stupidity and mendacity share the same view.
I’m law abiding in the eyes of my peers and my god. No one else’s opinions or rules matter
525 keys of coke off the market. That will put a damper on Wobbly Canoe’s weekend party plans.
I wouldn’t be surprised if leaky is or knows who is at the top of the racket.
I know there’s a connection between organized crime and untaxed cigs or untaxed liquor.
Seeing how the federal gov’t of Canada has spent tax dollars in the past decade it’s very difficult for me to register concern when taxes are no longer paid, I’m moments away from not caring if the entirety of the country actually pays taxes anymore.
Note that the government’s defense that “they’ve spent those tax dollars legally” is meaningless now, they’ve squandered these moneys and when oppostion MP’s question them on it, instead of actually answering the question they respond with, “Mr. Speaker the loyal opposition doesn’t support hard working Canadians”.
“I know there’s a connection between organized crime and untaxed cigs or untaxed liquor.”
What you may not know is how much money they’re making. It’s -Billions- with a capital B. Individual guys are making Billions. Like, they make more money than Stelco.
That much money can buy a lot of elections, and a lot of influence. And they will not go quietly if a new party comes to power in Ottawa, of that you may be sure.
This is why #Trump terrifies these guys. He’s old, he’s got more money than he can ever spend, and they shot him in the ear. I LOVE IT every time he smacks Ottawa around. I simply love it. So many crooked deals and under-the-table empires crumbling into ruin and then going on fire.
When enforcement of the law is done on a discretionary basis it invites corruption with an engraved invitation.
This behaviour is prevalent more often in a government that uses patronage instead of merit to develop goals and objectives.
In this case preferential treatment has been afforded a demographic that influences the justice system to determine guilt or innocence at the expense of law enforcement doing its job.
Why go after organized crime originating on reserves if the perps are likely going to get a light sentence if anything?
The example given, where the obvious part is treated like an 800 lbs gorilla in the corner of the room is where we have arrived at.
Just don’t look him in the eye and it won’t hurt you.
That’s why the pile of smokes was in the picture in the first place. Cops aren’t -all- crooked, the straight ones just sent us all a message. “Hey everybody, watch the Grand Poobah pretend there’s not five pallets of illegal smokes in this display.”
Like when they delivered Tim Hortons to the dirtbag terrorist wannabes on the Avenue Road bridge a few years ago in front of a hundred cameras. Rank and file sending a message to the public, and their superiors.
Apparently they didn’t spread enough of that $825,000 in cash around to the right politicians.
If they had, there would be no story.
This is the gubmint: They legislate banning advertizing and have cig companies put disgusting cancer pics on the packages and multiple warnings it causes cancer. Around the package is a gubmint seal attesting taxes on the product have been paid to said gubmint. Demonizing a product they profit from. Can’t make this up.
As for weed, they are trying to compete with an industry that has next to zero overhead, no taxes and literally grows and sells… a weed.
dont fergit SDA, references to ‘government’ always and only are references to
OTHER PEOPLE. of whom LIberals have the monopoly on ‘know-it-alls’