Page A10 - The Terrace Standarc, Wednesday, January 20, 1993

RCMP roadblocks smoke
out cigarette smugglers

STEWART — Stewart RCMP
are cracking down on the illegal
smuggling of cigarettes into Can-
ada from Hyder, Alaska..

Cigarettes thal cost nearly $50a
carton in Stewart go for just $25
across the U.S, border in Hyder,
Alaska. And they’re being bought
by people out.to make a- quick
buck selling discount cigaretles.

“‘’s a big incentive,'? says
Stewart RCMP Const. Dave
Smith. vA lot of people are com-
ing out,’

Aad a lot are getting caught,
tao,

The RCMP: detachment there
has slepped up its customs enfor-
cement. They’re setting up road-
blocks almost daily and they’re
iow making. seizures almost as
regularly.

“We're seizing lots and lots of
stuff,’ Smith said. “I've got an
exhibit room full of confiscated
goods here. The chances of get-
ling stopped now are a lot greater

than they were two or three years

ago.’

Liquor .and tobacco sold in
Hyder doesn’t include any of the
accompanying Canadian taxes
and duties.

seven
Sisters
surface |
again

TERRACE -- More meetings
are planned to give people a
chance to examine the plans of a
company that wazts to build-a
multi-million-dollar destination
hiking resort norlheast of town.

Lands ministry regional man-
ager Jim Yardley said Seven
Sisters Ventures Lid. has filed a

management plan that’s a couple ©

thousand pages long.

And he said there will be anoth- :

er round of: public. meetings ina
couple of months before any de-
cision is made to allow the com-
pany to ‘proceed.

The company is seeking a com

mercial backcountry “recreation
licence ta develop a $12.6 million
wilderness hiking - and . skiing

resort, They want to build 55 .-

miles of trails and a. series’ of
remote cabins and suspension

bridges in. the mountains above |

Dorreen, across the Skeena River
from the Seven Sisters,

Company president. Titus Nel-
son says local people would con-

tinue to have. free. access to the:

trail system.
So far, however, Seven. Sisters:
Ventures has been unable to

reach a deal with Gitksan natives, an
who include the area within their “4 mo

land claim.

Gun
costs
rise

,

TERRACE — Al the’s same linnie

some people were tuning
unwanted ~ guns, others’
lining up to get.gun. ‘pem
fore fees increased Jan. 1

Terrace ROMP. Spt.’ Jerry’ “Whit.
ing said the ‘number .of applica: *
tions’ for .. Firearin’ “Acquisition no
Certificates: “received ‘here was.

aboul four times: the tormal Tate
towards the end of 1992, wigs
Canada's . new. gu

among ; the chatiges ares an. in-

crease in fees, The cost of. oblain- :
ing an-FAC is now: $50 — up

from $10—and a renewal Is $25,

The rush for. gun. permits: came
while a national, firearms. amnesty
was being ct ed from Nov. 1
to Dee. 15;

People. who owned guns and |

animunition. were: allowed, to tum
in unregistered of Unwanted. guns
and -amniunilion ‘ ‘without penalty
during the amnesty.

Whiting: said: 14. firearms. were
turned in here,. along. with: some
ammunition and‘a- wo sniall eX
plosive devices, | :

He said the guns tumed. in. in-
cluded registered ' "ait ~~. -utt-
registred: ‘handguns. ‘and’ seal
automatic rifles, 3:

The new: ‘regulations now. in

place also-ineréase the: minimum : & ao
age to get an AFA from ‘16 to’ 1s," a

Stewart used to be a patrolled
border crossing until the station
was disbanded in the early 1980s.

Since then there’s only been a
sign advertising a toll-free num-

- ber in Prince Rupert that shoppers

retuming from Hyder are sup-
posed to phone to declare their
imports,

It’s probably one of the least-
used toll-free numbers in the
country,

“T guess it’s pretty easy to ig-
nore,’ Smith says. ‘They know

zer,”

He said much of the out of town
traffic through town are people
going to Hyder.

“They're not coming for the

_Scencry, Why drive three and a_

half hours fram Terrace if it’s not

worth, their while? They're com-.

ing for more than- just a milk-
Shake al the King Ed hotel.”’
Smugglers who are caught are
penalized harshly, however.
They forfeit the cigarettes and

or else lose their vehicles.

Smith said several vehicles
have been ‘seized in recent
months, but cach owner. paid the
more than $40 a carton penalty to
get them back. _

There’s also a minimum $100
fine for undeclared Imports if the
amount of goods brought back is
small,

“The penalties are extreme,’
Smith said. “They’re just ruth-
Jess. Impaired drivers don’t get
that much.”

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Especially for

_., town: with caselots are reselling
. the stuff,’’ he said. ‘‘They’re not
_ going to.spend a couple thousand
_ dollars ‘on cigarettes for them-

_stlves ‘and put them in the free-

Iv control a
regulations took effect Jan. 1, and

must pay large penalty fines —
it’s cheap and once they’re out of ;
town, they’re home free.”

The majority of the illegal im-
ports are people who buy a few
cartons of cigarettes or a few
bottles ‘of liquor: for their own
personal use, Smith said.

But fora few, it’s big business.

“Most of them get away it,”
said Prince Rupert RCMP sub-

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maintain the Hatchery - :
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" One Terrace woman was caught —
Jast fall returning from Hyder
with more than $7,000 worth of
cigarettes and-tobacco,

Smith said they usually head

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or the Hazeltons and re-sell. the
cigarettes.

The people who head out of

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