TORONTO — Several individuals across Ontario were convicted in of offences under the Tobacco Tax Act, resulting in fines, probation orders and the forfeiture of illegal tobacco products.According to court records, the November convictions stemmed from the possession, purchase or resale of unmarked cigarettes, which are illegal under provincial law. In each case, courts also imposed a mandatory victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. All seized tobacco products were forfeited.Among those convicted was Nadir Ali, who was fined $35,000 after being found guilty in Brantford on Nov. 27 of purchasing or receiving more than 5.1 million unmarked cigarettes for the purpose of resale. On the same date in L’Orignal, Jesse Jones-Brake was fined $250 for possessing 226 unmarked cigarettes..In Hamilton, Thanh Phuong Nguyen received a $20,500 fine and two years’ probation on Nov. 26 after being convicted of possessing 314,490 unmarked cigarettes for sale. Michael Robert Mireault was fined $500 in Sioux Lookout on Nov. 24 for possessing 1,361 unmarked cigarettes.Additional convictions included David Chun Ta Wong, who was fined $500 in Toronto East on Nov. 14 for possessing 146,200 unmarked cigarettes for sale, and Hmoud Naihow, who received a $50,000 fine in Burlington the same day after being convicted of possessing more than one million unmarked cigarettes for resale..Habib Mehdi Assi was fined $38,000 in Ottawa on Nov. 13 for possessing 116,000 unmarked cigarettes for sale, while Julie Goyette was fined $480 in L’Orignal on Nov. 6 for possessing 3,500 unmarked cigarettes.Under Ontario law, cigarettes sold without the province’s yellow tax stamp, including those packaged in clear plastic bags, are illegal except in limited circumstances. Operating in the tobacco business without the required permits is also prohibited. In addition to court-imposed penalties, individuals and businesses may face civil penalties.Since January 2020, Ontario has recorded 557 convictions under the Tobacco Tax Act, resulting in more than $5.6 million in fines, as well as jail sentences, probation orders and community service terms.
