"It's lawlessness: Alberta Retailers fear for their livelihoods and their safety"

EDMONTON, AB, March 21, 2023 /CNW/ - Alberta's convenience store owners are speaking up about how contraband tobacco has changed their business and their communities.

"Illegal tobacco has taken over this town. It's lawlessness. My sales have gone down by 50%. People just buy cigarettes off the street now. The government dropped the ball on this one, they created this problem..."

Contraband tobacco is a major contributor of crime in Alberta. In a news release on December 13, 2022, EPS officials are on record stating that "contraband tobacco is becoming a mainstay of organized crime in our city. Criminals eventually have to use city roadways to transport their illegal cargo, and that's where [police and criminals] occasionally cross paths.

Criminal groups profit from the buying and selling of illegal tobacco products. It's no secret that these crime groups are simultaneously trafficking drugs, humans, and weapons. During a recent incident in Red Deer in December 2022, as brought to light by an RDNewsNow article, two men were charged with trafficking in contraband tobacco, and fraud over $5000 following an investigation by AGLC  last year which led to the seizure of an estimated $4.5 million of contraband tobacco.

The Alberta Retailers Coalition (ARC) is an advocacy group calling for action against contraband tobacco in Alberta. The Coalition is calling on the government to create a contraband prevention task force to address the ever expanding contraband tobacco problem in Alberta.

"We believe a Contraband Prevention Task Force is the first step in addressing the buying and selling of illicit tobacco in our province and finding a way together to implement stronger enforcement and penalties for those that break the law."

Alberta Retailers plan on sharing more voices from retailers this month in an effort to help raise awareness with public officials about the consequences of poor government policy.

To learn more, visit: https://www.albertaretailerscoalition.ca/

SOURCE Alberta Retailers Coalition

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