Saskatchewan RCMP have charged an adult male after officers seized approximately 9.1 million illicit cigarettes during a traffic stop in the RM of Battle River.
On Jan. 20, 2026, at about 12:40 a.m., Saskatchewan Highway Patrol officers with the Provincial Protective Services Branch stopped a truck and trailer on Highway 16. During the stop, officers located a large quantity of illicit tobacco inside the trailer and arrested the lone occupant.
Battlefords RCMP and Saskatchewan RCMP’s Yorkton Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team took over the investigation.
23 pallets of unstamped tobacco seized
Police say a search of the truck and trailer revealed 23 pallets of unstamped tobacco, estimated to contain roughly 9.1 million illicit cigarettes. All items were seized, and the driver was taken into RCMP custody.
Investigators later determined the driver was under court-ordered release conditions related to tobacco charges in Ontario, including a condition not to be outside that province.
Charges laid
As a result of the investigation, 41-year-old Harwinder Kahlon of Brampton, Ont. is charged with:
- One count of selling, offering for sale, transporting, delivering, distributing, or possessing unstamped tobacco for the purpose of sale, contrary to Section 121.1(1) of the Criminal Code.
- One count of possession of unstamped tobacco, contrary to Section 32(1) of the Excise Act.
- One count of possessing, storing, transporting, or selling tobacco not marked in a prescribed manner, contrary to Section 11(8) of the Tobacco Tax Act.
- One count of failing to comply with an undertaking condition, contrary to Section 145(4)(a) of the Criminal Code.
Kahlon appeared in North Battleford Provincial Court on Jan. 21, 2026.
The investigation was led by Saskatchewan RCMP, with assistance from specialized trafficking units.
