Unsmoke Canada launches campaign as recent seizures highlight scale of contraband tobacco trade

Unsmoke Canada launches campaign as recent seizures highlight scale of contraband tobacco trade

Campaign follows recent seizures that underscore the public safety, health and fiscal costs of illegal tobacco

TORONTO, June 8, 2026 /CNW/ - As recent enforcement actions continue to highlight the scale of Canada's illicit tobacco market, Unsmoke Canada, an initiative of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH), today launched a new awareness campaign to help Canadians better understand the true cost of contraband tobacco and so-called "cheap smokes."

The campaign launches amid recent reports of massive seizures of contraband tobacco and nicotine products. On May 27, the RCMP reported a seizure in Beauce, Que. involving 2.26 million unstamped cigarettes. Earlier this spring, the Nova Scotia RCMP reported a Highway 104 stop near Amherst, N.S., that led to the seizure of approximately 1.63 million cigarettes, while in Western Canada, Saskatchewan RCMP seized approximately 7.2 million illegal cigarettes from a semi-trailer following a Highway Patrol inspection near Swift Current. Together, these cases underscore the scale, reach, and persistence of the illegal market in Canada.

The digital campaign will run for four weeks, directing Canadians to an online resource, The True Cost of "Cheap Smokes", that outlines how contraband tobacco and nicotine products affect community safety, public health, and government revenues across the country. It features information on how contraband cigarettes are produced without quality or safety controls, avoid taxes and health regulations, circumvent health warnings, legal age restrictions, and packaging requirements, and are sold through illegal channels, including street sales and online marketplaces without safeguards to protect youth.

An estimated $2.1 billion in federal and provincial tobacco tax revenue is lost each year due to contraband tobacco, adding to the public cost of an illegal market that crosses provincial and international borders and demands coordinated action across governments and law enforcement agencies.

Quick facts

• Contraband tobacco is a multi-billion-dollar illegal industry in Canada, with billions of illegal cigarettes sold each year.
• An estimated $2.1 billion in Canadian federal and provincial tobacco tax revenue is lost each year due to contraband tobacco, according to a study conducted by KPMG LLP and commissioned by Philip Morris International.
• The same study found contraband tobacco continues to grow as a proportion of all cigarette sales and now makes up over 38 per cent of the Canadian tobacco market.
• Law enforcement estimates that more than 170 organized criminal groups are linked to Canada's illicit tobacco trade.
• Canada Border Services Agency tobacco seizures increased from 547,000 kg in 2024 to 803,000 kg in 2025.
• Contraband cigarettes do not comply with Health Canada standards, packaging rules, health warnings and other government regulations.
• Illegal products are often sold through street-level channels and online marketplaces and shipped by mail, without the accountability required of legal, regulated products, including age verification.

Canadians can visit The True Cost of "Cheap Smokes" to learn more about how contraband tobacco fuels organized crime, undermines public health efforts, reduces government revenues and impacts communities across Canada.

Quotes

"There are many misconceptions about contraband tobacco, the biggest being that it is a victimless crime. Its costs are real and felt in communities across Canada, from funding organized crime and reducing public revenue to undermining the laws and regulations in place to protect youth." — Milena Trentadue, Managing Director, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.

"Contraband tobacco is a serious issue. It is a national public safety and public policy challenge. Addressing it will require stronger coordination across all levels of government, along with sustained enforcement targeting the entire illicit supply chain, from the importation of raw materials and machinery to distribution and illicit sales." — Danny Fournier, Senior Manager, Illicit Trade Prevention, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.

About Rothmans, Benson & Hedges

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH), an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc., is one of Canada's leading tobacco and nicotine companies and is working to deliver a smoke-free future. RBH is committed to sustainability and creating a positive impact on communities, the economy, and the environment. Currently, RBH employs nearly 800 people across the country, with its headquarters in Toronto and a factory in Québec City. Discover more about the company at https://www.rbhinc.ca/ and stay updated on RBH's transformation by following Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.